A Love Story - Julie and Ram
by parsda
Summary: The backstory to the epilogue of "Perfect". Keep the reviews coming in, they help me with the direction of the story.
1. Chapter 1

A Love Story – Julie and Ram

**Present Day**

When Ram came into their apartment after his shift was over, he found Julie wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. She was looking through one their many photo albums and scrapbooks. When they moved into this apartment together, right before they got married, Julie found his shoe boxes of pictures and decided to put together albums from both of their childhoods, her college years and his military years, both of their early years with RangeMan, and the newest one included their dating days and ended with their wedding. They had been married almost two years now and Ram never thought he'd be as happy as he's been since he started dating Julie. He never thought he deserved to be this happy. He slipped onto the couch behind her and pulled her onto his lap. He reached around and put both hands on her ever growing stomach. She sighed and leaned against him. He kissed the side of her neck and said, "Is she doing okay today?" Julie laughed and said, "Yes, he is doing just fine. Just a bit too active for my liking today so I thought I'd rest on the couch." They didn't want to find out the sex of their baby, but each thought they knew the sex. She had about six weeks to go and had just started cutting back her work hours.

"Looking through this album again? Not having second thoughts of being married to me, are you?" Julie set the album down and twisted in his arms. She put her hands around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "Never, it was the best thing I've ever done and you know that Ramsey. I was just in a sappy mood and wanted to look back at our early days together." He nuzzled her neck and sighed. "You know, we could move this into the bedroom and you could stretch out better and we could look through the album together." Julie laughed and said, "You know if we go into the bedroom, the last thing we'll be doing is going through the album." They kissed again and after Ram stood up, he pulled her to her feet and swept her into his arms and carried her to bed. After a round of gentle lovemaking, they snuggled up together and looked through the album, starting with Steph and Ranger's wedding.


	2. Chapter 2

**12 years earlier**

As a high school sophomore, she got the lead in the musical. Not too many underclassman were even in the musical, let. alone a lead. In the past year, she'd gotten over her shyness and found her inner Beyoncé. As the days counted down, getting closer to opening night, Julie was so excited for the musical at school. Ranger was coming down for quick visit so he could catch one of the shows on the first day. The opening was in the afternoon and then again with an evening show. He had confided in her the previous week that he was planning a surprise wedding for him and Stephanie on her birthday. He had made arrangements with her mom and Ron to bring them all back to Trenton after her show tomorrow night for the wedding and then the next morning, they would fly home so she could finish the rest of the shows. She only had to have a substitute for the one night and couldn't wait for the wedding.

When they got to Trenton, her and her parents stayed in a hotel not too far from Ranger's house. She went over and helped Ella and the guys with the set up for a few hours and then headed back to change. She and her mom had gone shopping the weekend before and found a beautiful blue dress for her to wear. She decided that they should stay towards the back of the group at the wedding so Steph didn't see her until it was over. Once the wedding ceremony was over and Ella announced that the reception was starting outside, Julie decided that was the time to make her move. When she saw the last of the well-wishers step away from Steph and her dad, she went running towards them. Her dad reached out and caught her as she jumped at them. Her dad hugged her and then handed her off to Steph. "Julie, I didn't know you were here," Steph said. Julie smiled and said, "Mom and dad brought me up so I wouldn't miss your wedding. We can only stay until tomorrow morning because I have to get back for the musical at school. I got someone to take my spot for tonight but need to get back for the rest of the show." Steph gave her another hug and said, "I hope I get to see you sometime. Carlos said you did a great job and showed me a bit from his phone. I wanted to call you, but he said you weren't home. Now I know why you weren't home." They joined hands and walked over to where her mom and Ron were standing, talking with her grandparents. Rachel gave Steph a hug and welcomed her to the family, while Ron shook her hand. Rachel gave Carlos a hug and whispered something to him that he replied with just a quick nod of his head. Julie wondered what they said and hoped it was about having a baby. She wanted a baby brother. They all headed outside, ushering the rest of the guests with them who were still inside.

Soon it was time to eat and once everyone had been through the buffet line of wonderful food, Bobby tapped on the microphone to get everyone's attention. "Hello again everyone. I hope you are enjoying yourself so far. This is the time where we would usually have the toasts to the bride and groom, but I thought we'd mix it up a little tonight. Everyone has advice for newlyweds, especially on their wedding day. I'm going to pass the microphone around and ask that you offer some advice to Carlos and Steph. Please, keep it clean. There are little ears in the crowd and I know I don't want to have to explain things, so the men of RangeMan, that means you Lester, keep it clean! I'll go first. Steph and Carlos, my advice to you is to always kiss each other before you say goodnight. Even if you're mad at each other, a kiss helps the boo-boos go away." He turned and handed the microphone off to Tank and it went from there. Some of the advice included 'marriage should not be about looking at each other but looking in the same direction', 'never laugh at your wife's choices, because you are one of them', 'two things are necessary to keep wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And second, let her have it'. The microphone ended up with Julie last. She paused for a moment and then said, "Congrats on your promotion from "When will you marry?" to "When are you going have babies?" Everyone laughed except Carlos who just shook his head. Julie laughed and said, "I'm serious dad. I want a baby brother or sister." Steph laughed and grabbed Julie and gave her a hug. Her dad got up and thanked everyone for coming, blah, blah, blah. She was ready for the music to start. She and Lester had put together a song for Steph and her dad and she was anxious to sing.

Finally, Lester grabbed the microphone and said, "Quiet down everyone, it's time to dance. Carlos, grab your beautiful bride and head over here." Ranger pulled Steph out on the middle of the lawn, which was serving as the makeshift dance floor. Both were still barefoot and smiling. Lester was on the stage and grabbed a guitar that had been propped up and started playing while Julie picked up to the microphone and said, "Daddy and Steph, I think this song fits you both perfectly. I love you both so much and this is for you" and then she started singing.

Perfect – Ed Sheeran (2018)

I found a love for me

Oh darling, just dive right in and follow my lead

Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet

Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me

'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love

Not knowing what it was

I will not give you up this time

But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own

And in your eyes, you're holding mine

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath

But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight

Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know

She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home

I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets

To carry love, to carry children of our own

We are still kids, but we're so in love

Fighting against all odds

I know we'll be alright this time

Darling, just hold my hand

Be my girl, I'll be your man

I see my future in your eyes

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful

I don't deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

I have faith in what I see

Now I know I have met an angel in person

And she looks perfect

I don't deserve this

You look perfect tonight

Once the song was over, her dad and Steph hugged and kissed her and she went back to the table with her mom and Ron. The rest of the night was fun. She danced with both dads, some of her cousins and most of the guys from RangeMan. She knew most of them, as they all had been with her dad for many years, but there was a new one that she hadn't met before and she thought he was really cute.

He looked younger than most of the other guys, probably about 25 or so. Lester introduced her to him and she found his name was Ramsey, but all the guys called him Ram. He was fresh out of active military duty, having been slightly injured on one of his last missions, and decided to call it quits. He'd seen too many of his buddies leave on a mission and not come back. He had worked under Ranger before and the last time they were together, Ranger gave him a business card and told him to look him up after he was out if he wanted a job.

That's exactly what he did, and had been working for RangeMan for almost a year. He did his fair share of monitor shifts and working on patrols, but his passion was guns. He worked with Ranger to get the gun range up to par and introduced some of the guys to a few newer models. Being a shy guy and not very social, he was a bit awkward in social situations still, he spent a lot of his time alone at the gun range. Ranger had asked him to work with Stephanie and hopefully get her to like her gun and carry it, loaded, on herself and not in a bag. He had only been working at RangeMan a few months when he first approached her about training. She gave a few excuses and each day he would go to her cubicle and bribe her down to the range. He tried to make it fun and eventually, over the course of a few months, she got it. She learned to like her gun and Ranger thanked him for his help and he ended up getting a nice bonus for his work.

About two weeks later, in a staff meeting that Steph wasn't attending, Ranger laid out his plan for her birthday and surprise wedding. Some of the guys were directly involved in the planning but Ram was not one of them. He was worried about letting something slip so he spent the next two weeks staying in the gun range, especially when Steph was in the building. The guys had filled him in on the relationship between Steph and Ranger and sometimes when he thought about it, he just shook his head at them. All the back and forth between Steph and the cop, all the while Ranger was lurking in the background, waiting to make his move. He was glad they were finally together, and hopefully after her birthday, together forever. He was told about Ranger's daughter and he seemed impressed with the story of how she shot Scrog and he couldn't wait to meet her. When he mentioned this to Lester, Lester grinned and said, "You'll be impressed. That happened a few years ago and since then, Ranger has made sure she had some training from the Miami guys. She can sing too and she's planning to sing a song at the reception."

At the reception, he finally got a glimpse of Ranger's daughter, Julie. He thought she was cute, but he reminded himself that one, she was still a kid, 15 or 16 he guessed, and two, she was the boss' kid. He heard her sing with Lester playing the guitar and then afterwards, Lester introduced him. He talked to her briefly and then wandered away so he wouldn't say something stupid. Again, he was awkward in social situations. The dancing got underway and he was approached a few times by different women and he danced with them, but he wasn't after anything serious. He left alone that night and headed back to his apartment at RangeMan, but he kept thinking about Julie. "Shit," he thought, "I can't think about Ranger's kid like this, plus she is just a kid. Pull it together Ramsey."


	3. Chapter 3

After Ranger and Steph got back from their honeymoon, life at RangeMan settled down and things were going along as normal, well as normal as it gets for them. Steph slid into her new, expanded role as the Director of Client Services and was excelling, bringing more clients to the company, which resulted in some new hires. Ranger ended his contract with the government and never went "in the wind", as Steph called it, again. He was called a few times, but each time turned down the job and referred other guys he knew that could do the job. One time it was Ram, and it turned out to be a six month mission, but in the end, all the guys in his group returned, mainly unharmed. Ram ended up with a broken arm and once the guys got the story out of him of how it happened, Ranger told him he should have made up a better story than the truth. The truth was, when they were getting out of the helicopter after getting picked after the mission had been completed, he tripped in a hole and fell. He ended up breaking his arm in the fall, but thankfully it wasn't his dominant hand so he could still shoot.

Once he got back in the swing of things when he returned and his cast was finally removed, Steph announced that she was pregnant. The guys were excited for her and Ranger and Lester started a baby pool. Steph didn't have it easy for the first few months and ended up missing a lot of work due to her morning sickness and when she did make it down to the control room, she looked green most of the time. Thankfully, about three months later, things perked up and the rest of her pregnancy went smoothly. She had about two weeks to go and was down in the gun range with Ram working on shooting with her non dominant hand, when she let out a gasp and looked down. "Shit, Ram, Shit, my water just broke. Can you help me get to Carlos?" Ram hit his panic button and helped her towards the door. She looked back at the mess on the floor and said, "Shit Ram, I made a mess on your floor." "Steph, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. Let's just get you to Ranger and then to the hospital." They were almost to the elevator when Ranger came busting through the stairwell door. "Hey Carlos, I guess it's time. My water broke and made a mess on the floor. Can you get Ella to help Ram clean it up?" "Babe, don't worry about the floor, let's get you to the hospital." With Ranger on one side and Ram on the other side, they got her into the elevator and down to the garage. He helped get her in the car and she gave him a kiss on the cheek before he shut her door. "Thank you Ramsey." "No problem, Steph. Best get going and have that baby at the hospital and not in the car." With that, Ram shut the door and Ranger jumped in and off they drove.

It was a long rest of the day for the guys, they were all waiting to hear the baby news, but while this baby was two weeks early, it was taking it's time actually coming into the world. Ram had cleaned up the gun range and finished his shift. He grabbed something to eat out of the break room and headed to his apartment. He had taken a shower and finished his dinner when he got the text. Rosalina Maria Manoso had finally arrived. He smiled as he read the text. She was 8 pounds and 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. She had a head full of curly brown hair and looked adorable in the picture that Ranger had texted. Before he could put his phone down, there was knock at the door. He opened it and found Bobby and Lester. They held up a six pack of beer and a pizza box and he let them in. Bobby handed over an envelope and said, "You won the baby pool. You got the sex right and was only off a few ounces on the weight. No one else was that close. Congrats man, you won almost $5,000." He gladly took the envelope and put it away in his bedroom. He'd have to get something special for the baby with some of the money. Once the beer and pizza was gone, the guys left and Ram headed to bed.

Rosie came home from the hospital and made her presence in the building known quickly. Steph or Ranger always had her with them in their offices and when she was upset, she let them all know. She could cry very loudly but when she wasn't crying, she had Ranger's blank face. The guys seemed to flock to her when she was down on the floor and would fight over who got to hold her. He kept his distance, as he wasn't comfortable holding something so small and fragile. A few weeks later, Ranger asked if he could go to the airport to pick Julie up when her flight landed. She was coming in at the same time as Rosie's doctor's appointment and he wanted to go with Steph. Ram agreed and headed out to the airport in Newark.

He parked the car and headed inside to wait for the flight to land. Soon, the flight arrival was announced and he waited with a few other people for the passengers to arrive. Julie was one of the first people off the plane and she was bouncing down the hallway, backpack on her back and duffle bag in hand and was talking animatedly with the airline employee that was escorting her. She saw Ram and waved and he gave her a nod and soon she was standing in front of her. He showed his ID to the airline employee and off they went. He grabbed the duffel bag from Julie and directed her to the parking lot. He put her bags in the back and helped her into the front seat. Once they got driving, she reached over and turned the radio on and started to sing along. He glanced at her and smiled. "You still like singing? I remember the song you sang at the wedding. You're really good." She looked at him and laughed. "You could say I like to sing. I'm taking voice lessons twice a week and in the choir at school. I usually get at least one solo per concert and am thinking about auditioning for a summer program at Julliard." He looked at her and said, "Wow, Julliard? That's great." She looked a little glum and admitted, "My mom doesn't want me to go because I'd be gone most of the summer, but Ranger thinks it's a good idea, well, Stephanie told Ranger it was a good idea, and that he'd pay for it if I get in, but I don't know."

They were silent for the rest of the ride back to RangeMan but once they pulled into the garage, Julie perked up and was bouncing in her seat at the thought of seeing the baby. He parked and got out and helped her out of her side. He pulled her bags out and followed her to the elevator. When the door opened, she started to walk into it and ran smack into Ranger, who was coming down to meet her. She threw her arms around him and hugged him. Ram stepped in with them and went up the apartment with them, still carrying Julie's bags. Ranger opened the apartment door and Julie went running inside, towards the nursery that had been set up in the addition that had been done before the baby arrived. Ranger took the duffel bag from Ram and motioned for him to follow. They set the bags down in the room that was to become Julie's room and then followed the sounds of laughter down the hall. Steph was sitting on floor of the nursery with Julie next to her and both of them leaning over Rosie, who was laying on her back and was laughing. They were taking turns tickling her to get her to laugh. Ranger's face softened at the sight and bent down to join in. Ram stood in the background until Steph noticed him and she stood up. She walked over and kissing him on the cheek said, "Thanks for bringing Julie home from the airport. As you can see, Rosie is glad to see her, we all are. Do you want to stay for a bit and play with Rosie?" He immediately backed up and shook his head no. "I need to get back down to the range and finish up some stuff before the end of my shift." He started to walk out of the room when Julie called out to him. "Hey, Ram, do you think I could come down sometime while I'm here and practice? I don't get a lot of time at home for it." He looked at Ranger, who nodded, and then said, "Sure, anytime, just stop down. See you later."

Julie stayed for a week and only made it down to the gun range once during that time. Steph came with her and together they blasted the paper target men, laughing as they shot. He made a few corrections to their shooting but for the most part, left them alone. He was asked to drive her back to the airport and did so, but the drive was different than the week before. Julie was sad about leaving Ranger, Steph and Rosie, but they had promised to figure out her summer plans and if she did get to the Julliard camp, then she would close enough that she could visit on free weekends. He parked and walked her into the airport. She got checked in and they sat down to wait for her flight. He looked at her and said, "Have you thought anymore about the camp this summer?" She shook her head and said, "No, I really would like to go and I know Ranger said he'd pay for it, but I'm not sure. My mom doesn't like me to be away from home for long, ever since the Scrog thing, so I might just forget about it and stay home." He looked at her and said, "Julie, you need to do what you want to do. You have a wonderful gift with your voice and need to see where it will go. If you really want to go to the camp, then work it out with your mom and Ranger. Try to come up with a compromise that will make them and you happy. Don't give up on your dreams." She threw her arms around him and hugged him before he could stop her. Before he could say or do anything, her flight was called and suddenly there was an employee from the airline in front of them, telling her it was time to board. She reached down and grabbed her bags and started to walk away from him, but at the last second came back and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Ram." He patted her on the shoulder and she turned around and boarded her flight. He stood watching her go and once she was down the walkway to the plane, he walked back to the car. He couldn't get her out of his mind the entire drive back to RangeMan. "Shit Ramsey, get your mind off the girl. She's still the boss's kid and she's still too young for you."


	4. Chapter 4

Ram got busy at work the next few months with an influx of new employees and that kept his mind off of Julie. He needed to evaluate their skills and let Ranger know where they needed work and what he thought of each new member. Ranger had also approached him about visiting the other offices and doing an evaluation of all employees, not just the new ones. He had agreed and was planning to spend about a week in each office, with a brief trip back to Trenton in between to check on things here. His visit to Boston went well and his report back to Ranger was positive. He headed to Atlanta next and found a few of the older guys needed some extra time on the newer weapons, but otherwise, they were fine. His trip back to Trenton after Atlanta was short, but he manage a few minutes to play with Rosie. She was getting bigger, almost walking and he wasn't so afraid of her anymore. Steph had teased him about being afraid of Rosie, but she realized that most of the guys were like Ram. They were big, always had been big and most people found them intimidating, even though she could see through to their softer sides. He was headed to Miami next and Steph had asked him to check on Julie for her. Apparently things weren't going well at home for her and Steph was worried. Steph didn't go into great detail about the issues, but just asked that he check on her.

His flight landed in Miami and when he walked into the terminal, expecting to find one of the guys from the RangeMan office waiting for him, he was surprised to see Julie. She was smiling and holding a sign up that simply had a picture of a cartoon ram. He laughed at it and walked over to her. She grabbed him and hugged him, and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "Hey, welcome to Miami. My name is Julie and I'll be your driver for today." He laughed and they walked over to get his bags. She tried to carry one for him, but he wouldn't let her. She led him to the car and he loaded the bags. He headed towards the driver's seat and she shook the car keys at him. "I'm driving. You can sit in the copilot seat or the backseat if you want to be Miss Daisy." He must have looked skeptical because she said, "Ram, I'm almost 18 years old and have been driving for two years. No accidents and no tickets. Besides, you don't know where you're going." He got in the front next to her and they took off. She drove like she was being chased and he looked at her and said, "No tickets? Are you sure?" She laughed and said, "Nope, no tickets. I didn't say I didn't drive fast, just that I haven't had any tickets." She turned the radio on and started singing. He glanced over and asked, "What did you do about that camp at Julliard? I never heard anything more about it." "Something came up at home and I had to defer for a year. Julliard was very willing to work with me and hopefully I'll get to go this year." Just the way she said it made Ram think that something big was going on and it was eating at her. She pulled into the parking garage at Miami RangeMan and parked. They got out and grabbed Ram's bags and headed up the elevator. They got off at the control room and she took him to Silvio's office. She knocked and Silvio yelled for them to come in and when she opened the door, she found Silvio and her dad, Ron, sitting there talking. Ram noticed that Julie tensed when she saw Ron and she said, "Dad, is everything is okay?" He nodded and said, "Julie, everything is the same as it was before you left this morning. I just stopped by with some paperwork that Ranger needed your mom to sign. I was just dropping it off so Ram could take it back when he returns to Trenton." He nodded to Ram and then stood up. He pulled Julie in for a hug and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later at home, okay?" She nodded and then headed out to the control room. Silvio nodded for Ram to sit down and once the door shut behind Julie, Silvio let out a big sigh.

Ram looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Problems?" Silvio shook his head. "Just some issues going on at the Martine house and I'm the go between with them and Ranger. Makes me glad I never got married or had kids. This family crap is tiring. Julie is putting in some time with searches for us, since we're short staffed at the moment. Hopefully it will keep her mind busy." Ram nodded and took the envelope from him that he held out that contained the papers Ron had dropped off. "Just give these to Ranger when you get back. He's expecting them." "Sure, I'll put them in my bag now so I don't forget them when I leave." They got down to work and came up with an evaluation schedule for the next few days. The next few days went by quickly and before he knew it, it was his last night in Miami. He was packing his bags in the apartment he was staying in at RangeMan when there was a knock at the door. He walked over and opened it to find Julie standing there with tears running down her face.

He pulled her into his arms for a hug and she broke down in sobs. He kicked the door shut and just stood there, holding her, letting her cry it out. When he heard her sobs slowing down, he said, "Julie, what's going on? Are you hurt?" She shook her head and when he tried to pull her away from him, she grabbed on tighter. "Julie?" She let go of him and ran her hands across her face to wipe away the tears. She walked farther in the apartment and disappeared into the bathroom. He pulled out his phone to see if he a text or missed call about a problem with her, but found nothing. She walked out and saw him with his phone in his hand and said, "Please don't call Steph or my dad. I don't want to talk to them yet." He nodded and put his phone back in his pocket. He motioned for her to sit down on the couch and he pulled a couple bottles of water out of the fridge. He handed one to her and she drank it down quickly. "Thanks. I'm sorry for dumping on you, but I had to get away from the house and you were the first person I thought to go see. I hope you don't mind." Ram reached over and wiped more tears that were running down her face and said, "Not at all. Can you tell me what's going on and I can try and help?" She started talking and by the time she was done, Ram felt like crying. He had gone through the same thing a few years ago with his own family, poor kid. He looked at the clock on the microwave and saw that they had been talking for about 2 hours. "Hey, do you need to let someone know where you are? You've been here for over 2 hours." She jumped up and grabbed her purse that she had dropped when she came into the apartment and pulled out her phone. She looked and saw she had over 20 missed calls. She punched a few buttons and then started talking to whoever she called. "I'm sorry. My phone was turned off." "I'm okay, just with a friend talking." "I'll be home soon. I'm sorry." "Love you too." She hung up and then turned back to Ram. "I need to get home. Thanks for listening to me babble on and on. As your driver, I'll be back in the morning to take you to the airport." She hugged him one last time and left him standing there, staring after her.


	5. Chapter 5

Ram was waiting for her in the garage the next morning, bags packed and sitting on the ground next to him. She came shooting into the garage and squealed the brakes as she stopped. He shook his head at her and grabbed his bags. He threw them in the back seat and then walked over to the driver's door. He opened it and pulled her out and jumped in before she could react. "Get in kid, I'm driving today. I'd like to get there in one piece." She started to argue with him, but he put a look on his face that could rival one of Ranger's so she got in the passenger side and slammed the door. He drove to the airport and they were silent most of the way. She only corrected his driving once, when he was in the wrong lane that she knew was closed due to upcoming construction. He parked at the airport and they got out. He grabbed his bags and then they headed inside. He had told her that she didn't have to stay, he was a big boy and could wait for his flight alone, but she insisted. "I'd rather not be home right now so I'll stay until you leave." He got checked in and they got something to drink and sat down. "How did last night go after you got home?" Ram asked. Julie was quiet for a minute and then said, "Everyone was in bed when I got home. I think once they knew where I was and was on my way home, they were able to relax and go to bed. It's going to be hard for a while, but hopefully things will improve. I talked to dad this morning and he said the papers you are taking to Ranger could help. Ranger's looking for someone who specializes in this kind and see if there's anything else that can be done." He reached over and wiped her tears away and said, "I'm sorry you're hurting kiddo. I went through this a few years ago and know exactly how you feel. Give me your phone." She handed over her phone and he added his contact information and then handed it back to her. "I added myself to your contact list, so feel free to text or call anytime. I'll be here for you and if you want to talk about things you can't talk to any of your parents about, I'll be there for you and I'll keep it to myself." She nodded and he continued, "I will only get Ranger or Steph involved if I feel that you are in trouble or need the more help than I can give you, okay?" She through her arms around him and hugged him. "Thank you Ramsey. You're a great friend to have and a great guy too."

Once his flight took off, he leaned his head back and tried to sleep. After Julie left him last night, he didn't get much sleep. He kept thinking about how upset she was and how hard she had cried. He hoped that Ranger would be picking him up at the airport because he wanted to talk to him about Julie. She needed to have someone to talk to and help her deal with everything and be there for her. He wanted to let Ranger know that he told her to call him, and he wanted to make sure Ranger understood why he was doing it. When he got off the plane and walked into the terminal, he didn't see Ranger, but instead he saw Steph and Rosie. When he walked over to them, Rosie reached her arms out to him, wanting him to hold her. He looked shocked and Steph just laughed and told him to drop his bags. She put Rosie in his arms and the little girl snuggled into him and closing his eyes for a moment, he let out a big sigh. Steph looked at him and said, "How was Miami?" He opened his eyes and looked at her. "The office is fine. A couple of the new guys are really good and I went over some training that they can do to help any new hires before I get back down there again." Steph shook her head and said, "Tell all of that to Ranger. I want to know about Julie. I know that Ron called in a panic last night trying to track her down. Anything you know?" He dropped a kiss on Rosie's head and handed her back to Steph. Reaching down to pick up his bags, he said, "Let's go and I'll tell you what I know."

Ram talked to Steph on the ride home and by the time she pulled into the garage at RangeMan, she was wiping at tears on her face. She got out and by the time she got Rosie out of the back seat, Ranger was coming out of the stairwell. "What's wrong? Hal is on monitors and saw you wiping away tears. Did something happen?" Steph shook her head and kissed his cheek. "I'll take Rosie upstairs and let Ram talk to you." She grabbed the diaper back and headed upstairs in the elevator. Ranger looked at Ram and said, "What's going on?" Ram grabbed his bags and said, "Let me put drop these off at my apartment and then I'll come to your office." Ranger nodded and they both headed up the stairs. Ten minutes later, Ram was knocking on Ranger's office door, holding the envelope that Silvio had given to him. Ranger called him in and he walked in and handed the envelope over and then sat down in one of the chairs. Ram talked for about ten minutes without any interruption from Ranger. He told him about Julie's visit the night before and how they talked and he shared his own story. Ranger looked at him and said, "Do you think what we're going to try is something that we should or are we just prolonging the pain?" Ram said, "I can't say. I know what my mom wanted and it was to go on her own terms. The doctor's had no more options, it was too far advanced and spread throughout her body and to be honest, I think mom was tired. She was tired of all of the surgeries, the treatments, the feeling of being sick all of the time. She sat me down the one time I was home and told me she wanted to end it because it wasn't working. I was selfish and told her to fight harder, that she could beat it, but she shook her head and told me to think like a grown man and not a little boy. I needed to grow up and accept her decision and spend the rest of her remaining time with her doing what she wanted and not arguing all the time."

Ram paused and Ranger said, "How did you handle it all?" "I was only 22 when she died and I had to grow up fast. I had to deal with the house and her finances, things I had no clue how to handle. Thankfully, a good friend of hers was an attorney so she helped me. Mom had planned her own funeral so that was at least taken care of, but it was still hard. I was her only child, her parents were already gone, she had no siblings and we hadn't heard anything from my dad for almost 20 years. He just up and left one day and never came home." Ranger asked a few more questions and then Ram said, "Ranger, I gave Julie my phone number and told her to text or call whenever she wants to talk. I hope that's okay with you, I don't want to do anything you don't agree with, but shit, you should have seen her last night. She couldn't stop crying once she got to RangeMan." They talked for a few more minutes before Ram left Ranger's office. He was off duty until the next day so he headed back to his apartment and once there he found a text from Julie. "Thanks for last night. I've never had a friend like you that I can talk about anything with, I hope you don't get tired of hearing from me." He smiled and replied, "Anything for you kiddo."


	6. Chapter 6

The next year went by quickly. Julie and Ram texted almost daily, sometimes four or five times if she needed more encouragement. Julie's mom was holding her own, having been placed in a clinical trial and so far, it seemed to be helping. Stephanie had confided in Ram that Julie was also doing better and she was thankful to Ram for his friendship with Julie. Sometimes Steph thought that there was something more there, but then talked herself out of asking either Ram or Julie.

In June, Julie had graduated from high school and was finally able to attend the summer camp at Julliard. She was able to stop in the Trenton office a couple times over the summer and always made sure to stop by and see him. Each time she stopped by the building, she found him in the gun range. He spent most of his time there, but that's where he felt most comfortable. He got along with all of the guys, but he still considered himself socially awkward.

He heard from Julie once she got back in Miami after camp that she was going to hold off going to college. She wanted to stay close to her mom and Ranger and her parents seemed to be okay with her decision. She put in about 10 hours a week at the Miami RangeMan helping where she could in all areas of the company. She talked to him about college and he convinced her to start taking classes as a part-time student. There was a community college not far from the Miami RangeMan building and Silvio was willing to work around a class schedule, just as long as she came to work each day. The fall passed by quietly and before he knew it, it was almost Christmas. He volunteered to work over the holidays so the guys with families could spend time together. Steph and Ranger stepped in and picked up some open shifts so even more guys could go home.

He was working on the monitors on Christmas Eve when he saw Ranger pull into the garage. The passenger door opened and Julie came bounding out. He smiled to himself, but kept watching the monitors. The elevator door opened and Julie and Ranger came out. She practically bounced over to where Ram and Manny sat at the monitors. She threw her arms around each of them from behind and kissed their cheeks. Ram laughed while Manny blushed. "Hey guys, Merry Christmas! I'm so excited to be here this year." Ranger came over and said, "Julie, leave the guys be so they can do their jobs. Once their shift is over, you'll be able to talk to them." She reluctantly agreed and headed back towards the elevator. Ranger said, "When you're shift is over, feel free to stop by the penthouse. Ella left a spread out in our kitchen for everyone. I'm sure Steph and Rosie will be happy to see you." They both agreed and he left. Manny looked over to Ram and smiled. "So, you've got it bad for the boss's daughter?" Ram looked at him shocked, "Of course not, she's just a kid. Good god man, I have to be about 10 years older than her. She's like a little sister." Manny just smiled and shook his head at Ram, but did drop the subject.

After shift they both headed upstairs, having stopped at their apartments to each pick up the gifts they had for Rosie. Ram also had picked up something small for Julie and had planned to send it to her next time he was able to get out of the building. They got off the elevator and found that the penthouse door was propped open and Christmas music could be heard from inside. They walked inside and found Rosie running around with Julie crawling after her in a slow moving chase. Steph saw them and motioned them to come into the apartment more and Julie jumped up and came over to hug each of them properly this time, and gave them each another kiss on the cheek. Ranger looked at her and shook his head. "Julie, would you stop kissing my men? They're going to expect me to take over when you go back to Miami. I don't kiss men."

They all laughed and Rosie came running over. She was two years old now and once she had started talking, she never seemed to stop. Steph joked that some nights she talked while sleeping. She seemed to go from crawling to running in a short amount of time. She stopped in front of Manny first, who picked her up and she kissed him on the cheek, leaving a trail of toddler slobber dripping off his face. Manny gave her a kiss on the cheek and handed her a present and sat her down. She ripped the paper off the box and saw that it was a toddler radio. It had a dial to turn that played nursery rhymes. It had a handle so it would be easy for her to carry around the apartment. Manny showed her how to turn it on and her eyes got big. She started singing with it and swinging it around by the handle, all the while dancing. "Juwe, look. Manny gots me a music machine." Julie showed interest in it and taking it from her said, "Rosie, why don't you go see Ram? I think he has a present for you too."

Rosie ran towards Ram and he picked her up swinging her around, making her giggle. He stopped swinging her and she reached both hands up and grabbed onto his face, giving him a sloppy kiss on the mouth. She patted his cheeks and said, "Wam Wam, gots me toy?" He shook his head and walked over to where he had set down the gifts he brought. He set Rosie down on the floor and handed her the two small presents. She looked at Steph and said, "Mama Mama Mama, Wam Wam gots me toys." They all laughed and watched her rip open the gifts. The first was a book about bunnies and the other was a GI Joe doll. She held the GI Joe up to Ranger and said, "Papa Papa, Wam Wam gots me a army Barbie." They all laughed and Julie sat down with her and helped her get the doll out of the box.

Once Rosie was occupied with her new toys, they headed towards the kitchen where Ella had left a spread of food. Steph thanked both of the guys for the gifts for Rosie and told them to grab some food. Ranger had gone into the fridge and brought them both a bottle of beer to drink. Some of the other guys had wandered in after shift and were getting food, drinks and giving Rosie presents. Steph had mentioned in one of their last all staff meetings that she knew the guys liked to give Rosie presents but she wanted to limit the amount for Christmas. She would be getting presents from her family, the Manoso family and Santa.

Julie walked over to Ram and said, "Wam Wam? Got a minute? I have something for you." She handed him a small box. He opened it up and found a pen, in the shape of a bullet. He laughed out loud and smiled at her. "Thank you. I've never seen anything like it before." Julie said, "I'm glad you like it. I saw it and thought of you immediately." He hugged her and dropped a kiss on top of her head. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Just a little something for you." She smiled and opened it. It was a small jewelry box and she opened it and grinned. It was a necklace that had a gold microphone charm. She pulled it out of the box and held it out to him. She pulled up her hair and he put it on and clasped it for her. She looked down and held the microphone in her hand, looking it over. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and then sat down to play with Rosie. Ram headed back over towards Manny and got more to eat. Neither of them noticed that Stephanie had watched the gift exchange.


	7. Chapter 7

Soon it was summer and Ram continued working extra jobs for the government. He'd taken on two short jobs after the holidays and each time came home unharmed within a few weeks of leaving. He had just walked into his apartment after his shift ended on a hot July day when his phone rang. He looked at the number and threw on his blank face. He listened to the caller and then said, "When?" More listening and then, "Ok, I'll be ready." He went into his bedroom and pulled the bag out of his closet. Throwing in a couple changes of clothes, he then opened his safe. He added some weapons to his duffel and then grabbed a few things from the bathroom. He headed down the stairs and stopped at Ranger's office. He knocked and when he heard from Ranger to enter, he opened the door. Ranger looked up and when he saw Ram holding his duffel, he knew what was happening. "When do you go?" Looking at his watch, he said, "Ten minutes." Ranger nodded and suggested he stop by Steph's office before he left. "Be safe Ram, we'll be here waiting for your return." Ram nodded, shook his hand and then headed down the hall.

He knocked on Steph's door and grinned when Rosie pulled it open. He saw the blanket on the floor, covered with toys and the plate of snacks. "Wam Wam." She reached her arms up and he pulled her up and hugged her. Steph saw the duffel bag and said, "When?" "A few minutes, getting picked up on the roof." She nodded and came over and gave him a hug. He set Rosie back down and she noticed his bag. She looked up at him and asked, "Wam Wam, you go bye bye?" He crouched down and said, "Yes, Rosie Posie, I have to go bye bye, but I'll be back soon." She hugged him again and gave him a kiss. "Wam Wam bring me toys?" He laughed and Steph wiped tears off her face, she always cried when one of "her" guys left for a job. He said, "If you're a good girl, I'll bring you a present." He looked at Steph and said, "I've got to go." She hugged him again and picked up Rosie. "Let's go watch Ram fly away for his trip." The girls followed him to the roof and he was surprised to see Lester, Bobby, Tank and Ranger waiting for him. The guys came over and said their goodbyes and before he knew it the helicopter was approaching. Before it landed, Steph said quietly, "Please let Julie know you're going to be offline for a while." He nodded and then headed to the helicopter and as soon as the door shut, it took off. He looked down and saw Rosie waving at him so he waved back, which made the other guys smirk and wave at him too. He laughed and flipped them the bird and then the copter turned and they were out of sight.

As the helicopter flew towards DC, Ram pulled out his phone and sent Julie a text. "Got a call, have to leave for a while. Will try to stay in touch. Don't worry if silent." Her response came almost immediately. "Be safe, don't be a hero, come home." He replied with, "I will, I won't, I will." He got a smiley face back from her. He smiled and put his phone away. In Miami, Julie set her phone down and wiped the tears off her face. She walked out into the living room, where Rachel was sitting on the couch. Rachel looked up when she came in and said, "What's the matter Julie?" Julie sat down and snuggled up next to her mother. "Ram got a call and had to go. I'm worried about him and told him to not be a hero." Rachel sighed and pulled Julie into her arms. "Honey, he knows what he's doing. He'll be fine and will come back." Julie was silent and then Rachel said, "You really care for Ram, don't you?" Julie nodded and said, "He's my best friend. I don't want to lose him." Rachel didn't say anything else, but she thought it was more than a best friend. Steph had taken to calling Rachel about once a week and a few times they talked about the friendship between Julie and Ram. Neither of the women had any problems with it, even with the age difference, but they knew the men in their lives wouldn't like it.

Ram was able to text Julie one more time before he headed off to the desert. "Hey, got a free minute before we fly out of DC. Not sure how long I'll be. Keep taking classes and hope all goes well with your mom. Steph said she had some more scans coming up soon." The reply came immediately. "Come back as soon as possible, stop in Miami if you can, only 4 more classes to associates degree. Mom is same, scans next week. I'm scared for results." "Be brave for your mom and yourself." "Miss you already." "Me too. Text all you want while I'm gone. I'll see when I get back." He turned his phone off and put it away in his bag. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep once the plane took off, as he knew that sleep would be hard to come back once the plane landed.

The next six months drug on for Julie. It was now the start of the New Year and she still hadn't heard from Ram. She asked Ranger once about him and all he said was that Ram was making his check-ins and to not worry about him. Steph was more understanding and one night when she called Steph, they had a long talk about her relationship with Ram. Julie stated that he was her best friend, but Steph asked if she had stronger feelings for him than just friendship. It took her a few minutes to answer, and she shocked herself when she said, "Yes, sometimes I do want more with him, but he's older than me and probably thinks of me as a little sister." Steph said, "Julie, I think he feels the same way as you. He's worried about the age difference and your father. I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks nobody is watching. I think when he gets back, you should talk to him. You're almost 20 years old and he's not quite 30, it's not that big of an issue now that you're not 15 anymore."

She still sent Ram texts every so often, basically stating she missed him and hoped he was well. Her mom's scans that were done right after he left came back with a couple questionable spots and the doctors changed her treatment and for now, things were okay. Ron and Rachel had sat her down the other night and had a long talk with her about the future outcome of the disease and it didn't look good. The doctors were helping for now, but had said that if the next set of scans came back with issues, then they would most likely be running out of options. She didn't want to hear this, but she knew she had to be grown up and accept what they said, but the little girl in her just wanted to cry.

Three months later, the next set of scans for Rachel came back with bad news. There was nothing more the doctors could do for her and it was just a matter of time. The clinical trial Ranger helped her get into added time to her life, but wasn't a forever cure. They would help keep her comfortable but didn't expect her to live much longer. Julie broke down with the news and spent the night alone, sitting in her room, refusing to let anyone else in with her. Ranger tried to call her and Steph was texting her, but she didn't reply. She couldn't talk right now. She sent Ram a text and said she needed him.

Another three months have passed and Rachel was now under the care of hospice. Ranger spent more time in Miami the past month, leaving Steph and Rosie behind in Trenton. Ranger called Steph the night that Rachel passed away and told her the news. Julie was taking it hard and he had to have the medic at RangeMan give her a shot to calm her down. Ron was a mess and Ranger was trying to get everything organized for him. Rachel had expressed her wishes about the funeral and burial but Ranger needed to get the wheels going on it. Steph and Rosie flew down the next day and Julie clung to Steph the entire time she was there. The day of the funeral was hard for all of them, but they somehow got through it. The Manoso family stayed for another week after the funeral and helped where they could. A lot of it, Ron was going to have to deal with on his own.

Ram was still gone and it was almost a year now that he had left. Julie struggled through her days in Miami with just Ron and asked Ranger if she could come up to Trenton and stay for a while. He talked to Ron, who agreed. She flew up a week later and moved into the penthouse with them. She worked part-time for Ranger and spent time each day taking care of Rosie. Rosie was three now and was a pretty easy going kid. Julie would take her to the park or swimming at the public pool and Rosie loved having Julie around the apartment. Rosie would talk about Ram every so often, which made her miss him even more.

She'd been living with them for almost three months when it finally happened. She had gotten caught by Ranger playing a prank on Lester and was stuck on monitor duty. Ranger admitted privately that the prank was good, but because she was an employee of RangeMan, he had to punish her, just as he would if it had been one of the guys. She didn't care, but thought the monitors were boring. Ranger stopped by and told her he had to go pick something up and would be back soon and then she could end her punishment. When she saw Ranger's car pull into the garage, she smiled, glad that her shift was over. When she glanced again and saw Ram getting out of the passenger side of the car, she screamed.

Hector ran over and had his gun pulled out, thinking something was happening to her. "Hector, look." She pointed to the monitor and Hector patted her on the shoulder. "He's back." She could hardly contain herself, knowing that her best friend was home. He ended up being gone for almost 16 months and he was finally home. When the elevator opened and only Ranger stepped out, she stopped in her tracks. "Dad?" He motioned her into his office and shut the door. She sat down and he knelt down in front of her. "Ram is back, but he's not okay. He's had a hard time and needs some time alone to get everything sorted out. I don't want you alone with him right now. Do you understand?" She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes, and said, "Daddy? Is he hurt?" Ranger shook his head, "Not physically, but he saw a lot of shit that he needs to work through. He's battling some inner demons and it's not safe for you to be alone with him. I know you are friends with him, but please take me or one of the guys with you when you go see him. Give him tonight before you stop by, he'll be in his apartment until he works it out." She nodded and he pulled her into his arms for a hug. "He's going to need his friends Julie, so just do what you can for him, okay?" She nodded and headed upstairs to the apartment.

She managed to wait until the next afternoon before stopping in Lester's office and asked him to go with her to see Ram. Lester agreed and they walked down to Ram's apartment. She knocked on the door and Ram opened the door. He looked from Lester to Julie and then back to Lester, shaking his head. "Julie, you need to leave." She started to say something, but he just shook his head and said, "You're not safe with me, go back upstairs." He pushed the door shut and she heard the lock click. She stood there with tears in her eyes and Lester pulled her in for a hug. "Julie, it's going to take some time. I don't know what he saw, but I can tell you from experience honey, give him about a week and we'll try again." She nodded and headed back to the apartment, running into her bedroom with tears still flowing. She picked up her phone and saw that Ram sent her a text. "I'm sorry kiddo, but I need to be alone."


	8. Chapter 8

Julie went to work every day and worried the entire time about Ram. Ranger told her that Bobby was checking on him a couple times a day and not to worry. Steph had told her how Ranger was after some of his missions, so she knew this was normal, but it was killing her being so close to him and not be able to talk to him. She would text him every few days, just to say hello, but got no response. Finally, almost two weeks had gone by before she got the text she was waiting for, "Have Lester bring you by after your shift today." She replied "I can't wait to see you" and then ran to find Lester. The rest of her shift was torture, but once Les showed up at her desk, she jumped up and grabbed his hand to drag him to Ram's apartment. She knocked on the door and Ram opened it, motioning for them to come inside. Lester hung out by the door as he had talked to Bobby before bringing Julie. Bobby said that Ram was doing well and he didn't have any worries about Julie being there with him. He wasn't going to stay the entire visit, but wanted to make sure things were okay before he left her there.

Julie and Ram sat on the couch and started talking. "Are you okay?" Ram paused for a minute and said, "I'm not back to who I used to be, but I'm on the right track. My temperament is under control and I don't feel like you're in any danger being here with me." They made small talk for a few minutes before Lester cleared his throat and said, "I'm going to head downstairs. Call if you need me." He left the apartment and Julie looked at Ram. "Are you really okay? You can tell me the truth and I won't tell dad or the guys." Ram let out a big sigh and started talking. "I feel better than I did two weeks ago. The mission was fucked up from the minute the plane landed and took so long to complete. All of my guys made it home, although some were injured, but they will live. I don't want to talk about what I all saw and had to live through, but know that the few times I could read your text messages while I was gone, helped get me through it all and home." He leaned over and cupped his hand on her face. "You kept me alive and I'm grateful for you." He stroked her face and then let go of her. He sat back against the couch and looked at her. "Do you want to talk about your mom?"

Julie sighed and said, "Not tonight. I'm just glad you're home and I can see you. It was torture to know you were so close to me and I couldn't talk to you." They talked for almost two hours before he noticed the time. "You better get going before Ranger comes looking for you." They stood up and he walked her to the door. "Hey, do you want to come upstairs for a few minutes? I know Steph and Rosie would love to see you. Rosie still talks about her Wam Wam." He agreed and said, "Just a minute, I have something for Rosie." He walked into his bedroom and came out with a small wrapped gift and a larger wrapped gift. He handed the smaller one to her and said, "I got this for you." She opened it and found another charm for her necklace. She reached into her shirt and pulled out the necklace he gave her so long ago. The microphone was still on the chain and now she added the newest charm, a set of angel wings. He helped her get it put on and then said, "You were my angel while I was gone. Thank you." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. It was the first time he had kissed her cheek. She stared at him and reached up to touch where he had kissed. He didn't notice the look on her face, as he was opening the door. She walked him upstairs and opened the penthouse door. They walked inside and soon Rosie came running from the kitchen, out to see who was there.

She stopped short of Ram and looked at him. Steph came out with a big smile on her face and said, "Ram, it's so good to see you home." She hugged him and Rosie finally said, "Wam Wam?" He smiled at her and crouched down. "Hey Rosie Posie. I'm back from my trip." She threw her arms around his neck and he stood up, with her clinging to him. Steph motioned for him to sit on the couch and Rosie was still attached to him when he sat down. "Wam Wam, you were gone a long time." He was surprised she remembered him, but she was almost four years old now. He noticed she was eyeing the gift he had in his hand. "Rosie Posie, do you remember when I left, you asked me to bring you a toy?" She nodded her head and said, "I was a good girl." He laughed and handed her the gift. She ripped it open and opened the lid to the box. She pulled out a doll and hugged it. She hugged Ram and ran over to show Steph. "Mama Mama, Wam Wam bringed me a dolly." Steph looked it over and could tell that it came from the region he had been sent to. She whispered something to Rosie who ran back over to Ram and hugged him again, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Wam Wam. I love my dolly."

They sat and talked for bit with Rosie playing with the doll until Ranger came home. He walked over to Ram and shook his hand and welcomed him back. "Whenever you want to come back to work, just let us know. Bobby will have to clear you medically, but there's no rush. Take your time." "I'll talk to Bobby tomorrow. I'm doing better and getting antsy sitting downstairs all day." Ranger nodded and said, "I understand, just don't rush anything." He looked at Julie and said, "Everything go okay?" She nodded and said, "I hate to break up the reunion, but I have class in the morning and have to go study for a test tomorrow." She looked at Ram and said, "I'll see you tomorrow?" He nodded and stood up. "I'm going to head back downstairs. Thanks for tonight." Ranger sat down and Rosie brought her doll over to show him. Steph walked Ram to the door and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're home Ramsey." "Me too Steph, me too."

Ram came back to work a few days later and they fell into a simple routine. Julie went to classes in the morning, worked a shift in the afternoon, and spent a few hours with Ram. She would do her homework, while he worked on paperwork or they spent a few extra hours in the gun range. He was really proud of how far she'd come with her shooting and was much more comfortable with different types of weapons. They met sometimes for coffee before her morning classes and sometimes grabbed a pizza together after shift. By the end of summer, she had enough credit hours to graduate with her degree in criminology. Most of the RangeMen went to the graduation ceremony and then to the party that Ranger and Steph threw in the backyard of RangeMan. Over the years, they had fixed up the backyard, first for Rosie to have somewhere to play and now with a patio area, grilling area and play area. Ron had come up for the graduation and Steph was glad to see that he seemed to be going better. He and Ranger got along well and he seemed to enjoy his time talking to the guys.

The party went well into the night, with lots of food, drinks and music. Rosie was having a great time running around with the guys and once the music started, she was dancing with all of them, she even got Tank to dance with her. Julie was spun around the yard dancing with all of the guys and when Ram grabbed her hand to dance with her, the music turned to a slow song and he pulled her into his arms and they swayed together. Ranger and Steph were also dancing and a couple of the guys had their girlfriends with them so they weren't alone dancing. Once the song was over, Lester yelled that Julie needed to sing for them. She shook her head, but Ram pushed her over to Lester and told her to sing. She rolled her eyes at him and started singing. Everyone clapped when she was done and she did a dramatic bow. About an hour later, most of the guys had headed back into the building or to their houses, Ron had left to go to his hotel and Rosie had fallen asleep on the slide to her play area. Ranger picked her up and carried her in the house, but not before telling Julie how proud he was of her again. Steph followed him and gave both Julie and Ram a good night hug. After that, it was just Julie and Ram left outside. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He handed it to her and urged her to open it. It was a charm in the shape of a rolled diploma that he had had today's date engraved on it. He helped her put it on her necklace with the other two and she hugged him. "Oh Ram, I love it. Thank you." She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and at the same moment, he moved his head to say something and her kiss landed on his lips. She gasped in surprise and after a few seconds of silence, he leaned in and kissed her again. She responded a soft moan and once she did, he deepened the kiss. They broke away breathless and just stared at each other. She turned and ran into the building, leaving him standing alone in the backyard. He shook his head and thought to himself, "Shit Ram, what did you just do?"


	9. Chapter 9

Julie went into the apartment and ran to her room. Steph and Ranger were sitting in the living room and she went flying past them before either could say anything to her. Ranger looked at Steph and said, "What's that all about?" Steph shook her head, she had an idea, but didn't want to say anything to Ranger. "I don't know. I'll talk to her tomorrow. I think I might take Rosie to the beach house for a few days and I'll see if Julie wants to go with us." He nodded and said, "Spend a few days there and I'll come out at the end of the week." Steph liked living in the RangeMan building, it was convenient for Ranger if a problem came up during the night, but she loved the beach house. It was where they got married and spent time when they needed to get away. She thought it was time for Julie to get away.

Julie jumped at the chance to spend a week away from the building. She planned to avoid Ram as much as possible without it looking like that's what she was doing. Rosie loved the beach house as well and they spent most of the day on the beach, either playing in the sand or out in the water. Steph tried to talk to her about the night before but before she could say anything, Julie said, "I don't want to talk about last night. I had a good time at the party, but I'm not talking about how it ended so please don't ask." Steph nodded and didn't say anything the entire week. Julie seemed to be in a good mood most of the time and was very helpful with Rosie. Ranger came out at the end of the week and he talked to Steph that night once they were in their bedroom. "Babe, Julie asked me tonight if she could go back to Miami and work at the building there for a while. I told her yes, but I wanted you to hear it from me. She seems desperate to get out of Trenton. Did you find out what's going on with her?" Steph shook her head. "The first time I tried to ask her, she stopped me and said she had a great time at her graduation party, but something happened at the end of the night and she didn't want to talk about it. I haven't tried again. I have an idea, but I don't want to push her. Maybe some time away from Trenton will do her good." Ranger leaned over and kissed her and then spent the rest of the night making her forget about everything.

They headed back to Trenton at the end of the weekend and Julie spent that night packing her things for the trip back to Miami. Rosie was sad that she was going away, but Julie promised she'd come back and they could talk over the computer. Julie didn't say anything to the guys downstairs that she was leaving because she didn't want Ram to find out and try to stop her. She was so confused over him. Steph and Rosie drove her to the airport the next morning and stayed with her until it was time for her to board her flight. When she hugged Julie goodbye, Steph whispered in her ear, "Do you want me to tell him where you went?" Julie shook her head no and then said, "I'll text him eventually, just not now." Steph pulled her away and said, "Did he hurt you?" Again, Julie shook her head no and then turned and walked away to board her flight.

Julie texted Steph when she got back to Miami and was at the house with Ron. It was the first time she'd gone back to Miami since she left after Rachel died. Ron picked her up at the airport and drove her to the house. She decided to stay at the house instead of the RangeMan building. She had some demons to put to rest and staying at the house, where her mom had died, was the first step. She settled into a comfortable routine after she moved back. She spent the mornings at RangeMan working with Silvio and then came home in the early afternoon. She spent a lot of time in her parent's bedroom, going through her mom's things. Ron had asked her to pick out some of Rachel's things that she wanted. The first time she walked into her mom's closest, she sat on the floor and cried. Ron hadn't done anything to her mom's belongings since Rachel had passed away, and once she opened the closet door, the smell of her mom's perfume overwhelmed her and she broke down in tears. Ron came home a few hours later and found her, still sitting on the floor in the closet. He slid down the wall and sat beside her and just held her. They both cried some more and eventually Ron stood up and pulled her to her feet and took her out to the kitchen for dinner.

She'd been in Miami about a month before she got the first text since she left. Ram had texted her after she ran from him, and she replied and asked him to not text her. She was so confused over her feelings for him. She always thought of him as her best friend and while she had some underlying stronger feelings about him, she didn't do anything about it. The kiss that got misdirected really rattled her and while she tried to, she couldn't stop thinking about it. The text tonight said, "I'm sorry you felt that you needed to leave town because of what happened. I didn't mean to make you feel this way. I have to go to California for a few months to do some training for a specially trained group, but I'd like to text you while I'm gone. I miss talking to you, I miss my best friend and I'm sorry." Julie sat and stared at his message for a bit before replying. "I'm sorry I ran, I got scared. Be safe in Cali. I miss you too and I'm sorry." A few minute later she got, "I really do miss you kiddo, maybe more than I should, but we need to talk about the kiss." "Not now, come back through Miami and we can talk." "Ok, it will be about three months. I'll let you know."

The next three months went by quickly. Ram would text every few days and most of the time Julie replied, but she was taking this time to think about her relationship with him. She decided she wanted to have more of relationship with him, but she didn't want her parents to know about it yet. She knew Steph would be okay with it, but Ranger would go berserk. The few boyfriends she had in the past were put through the wringer whenever Ranger or Ron met them. She knew Ranger did background checks on them, even if he didn't tell her he had done so. She was doing well at her job and got along with all of the Miami guys. Silvio appreciated her help with whatever he gave her to do and every so often some of the Trenton guys would come down for a visit. They would always take her for pizza or drinks after her shift was over and while she enjoyed spending time with them, but they weren't Ram.

Finally, she got a text from Ram that said he would be in Miami the next evening. She replied that she would pick him up at the airport and he responded with his flight information. The next day was torture for her. Finally, her shift ended and while his flight wasn't due for a few hours, she got in her car and headed to the airport. She paced around the terminal and finally, his flight was announced. She was nervous and bouncing around while she waited for him. The passengers started coming in from his flight, but she didn't see him anywhere. It was a crowded flight and finally, he was there. She stared at him and he walked over to her, standing in front of her. He dropped his bag and reached out and pulled her into his arms. She started crying and clung to him. She just kept saying "I'm sorry" over and over to him, but he shushed her. With one arm still around her, he reached down with this other hand and tipped her chin up so he could see her face. He searched her eyes for what he wanted and she gave him a teary smile. "Julie, I missed you so much," he said while leaning down and kissing her. Her hands reached up and went around his neck. He kissed her once and then again before pulling back and looking at her. "I was an idiot and I'm sorry." He wiped her tears away, grabbed his bag in one hand and reached down to hold her hand, entwining their fingers together. She walked him out to the car and handed over her keys. He drove to a beach he had found on a previous trip. It was a quiet part of the beach, with very few people around. They got out of the car and holding hands, started to walk.

They walked for over two hours, talking the entire time about what happened and what they wanted to do about it. Julie admitted she have more feelings for him than just friendship and he broke down and agreed he wanted the same thing. He was worried about their age difference and then brought up Ranger. They sat down and she leaned back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "Are you planning on staying in Miami?" She shook her head and said, "I don't want to stay if you're going to be in Trenton, but I don't think we should make our dating known to anyone." He agreed and said, "Do you think we could go back to how we were before "the kiss" and no one would have to know what we do outside of work together?" They discussed it some more and then finally, they got in her car and left. Julie drove him to the hotel he was staying at for the night and after a few minutes of kissing, she reluctantly left him there with the promise of picking him up for breakfast and taking him to the airport for his flight to Trenton.


	10. Chapter 10

Julie picked Ram up at his hotel and they went to breakfast before his flight. Steph, Ranger and Rosie were planning to come down in the next week for a visit and she planned to talk to them and to Ron and tell them she wants to go back to Trenton. Ram was going to go back to work and not tell anyone that he saw her in Miami. She hadn't told Ron that Ram was in town, in fact, with the hours she had been working and reconnecting with her high school friends, she didn't see him too often, mainly at the breakfast table most mornings. Before she knew it, she had to say goodbye to Ram at the airport. She went inside with him and waited until his flight was called. He drew her into his arms and held tight. He leaned down and gave her a few soft kisses before she grabbed on to his face and deepened the last kiss. He leaned his forehead down to rest against hers and sighed. "I don't want to leave you, now that I've got you back." She wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks and said, "I don't want to let you leave. I feel the same as you, I just got you back. I'll talk to my two dads and Steph and hopefully be back in Trenton in the next couple weeks. Text me when you get there?" Ram nodded and said, "Absolutely kiddo." He let go of her, grabbed his bag and started to walk away. Before he got too far, he turned around and saw that she was crying. He walked back over to her and hugged her again. Wiping the tears away, he said, "Hey, it will be okay. We've been apart longer than a couple weeks. We'll be okay." He kissed her again and then headed off to his flight. She stood at the window and watched his plane take off and then headed into work. True to his word, Ram sent a text to her as soon as his flight landed in Trenton telling her that he arrived safely and he missed her. Lester was waiting to pick him up and saw him texting when he pulled up. Ram got in and Lester teased him and said, "Texting a woman? Huh, Ram's got a woman?" Ram just laughed it off but never answered him.

Steph, Ranger and Rosie came down a week later and came by the house to see Julie and Ron. While they were there, Julie brought up the subject of moving back to Trenton. Steph didn't seemed surprised, as she knew Ram was back at work. Ranger didn't seemed phased by it, but Ron was hesitant. "Julie, are you sure you want to move back to Trenton? I thought you were enjoying yourself here again. You were enjoying work and reconnecting with your friends that you haven't seen in a while. Plus, I enjoy having you here. It's pretty quiet when you're not here." Julie knew that out of any of her parents, Ron would be the one who wouldn't like it. He seemed to be clinging to her sometimes and she felt guilty for leaving him so soon after her mom died. All Julie could say was, "I have thought about it and I want to move back to Trenton. I am almost 22 years old and I want to work on my career." She reached over and grabbed Ron's hand. "Dad, I'm going to go but I want to go with your approval." It took some more talking and negotiating, but finally Ron relented. Steph and Ranger invited him to Trenton, offering one of the safe houses for him to stay in so he wouldn't have to stay in the RangeMan building and would be more comfortable than a hotel.

Julie packed up and went back to Trenton with Ranger, Steph and Rosie. One the flight back, she approached Ranger with the idea of getting her own apartment. If one was in the building, she'd take it, otherwise, she'd like his help to find one in a safe location and building. She said she had a lot of money saved up and was thinking about buying instead of renting. Ranger seemed stunned that she didn't want to live with them, but Steph took control of the conversation at that point. "Carlos, Julie is almost 22 years old and needs to be out on her own. She can't live with us forever." When Ranger didn't agree, Steph laid all of her cards on the table. With a wink at Julie, she said, "Well, if she stays with us, it's going to get a lot more crowded." He didn't say anything, just looking at her. She reached over and grabbed his hand. "Carlos, I'm pregnant." His eyes grew wide and he pulled into his arms and kissed her. "Babe, are you sure?" "Well, I'm about five weeks late, the last couple days I've been sick in the mornings and the stick I peed on turned blue, so, yeah, I'd say I was pregnant." Julie jumped up and hugged them both at the same time and then gave Rosie a kiss. Rosie had no idea what was going on, but she was happy that Julie was with them.

When they got back to the RangeMan building, it took everything Julie had not to go track down Ram. She went upstairs to the penthouse with the family and helped get Rosie settled in for the night. Ranger went down to his office and Steph went to bed early, once she knew Rosie was taken care of by Julie. Once she got Rosie in bed, she headed into the office, which had her bed and stuff stored in it. She sent Ram a text and said she was upstairs and would see him in the morning. He replied with "Glad you're back, kiddo. See you tomorrow in the range? Sweet dreams" and got back, "Absolutely!" He chuckled and put his phone away and headed to his own bed, just a mere three floors away from her.

The next morning, Julie ate a quick breakfast and headed downstairs. She stopped in Tank's office and got a stack of searches to work on and then headed to the empty cubicle they kept for her when she was in the building. She had been working for about an hour when Lester stopped by and sat down by her. "Hey Uncle Lester." "Julie my girl, it's good to have you back. Ranger said you were looking for an apartment of your own." "Yep, it's time to go out on my own. I haven't checked, but are there any apartments open here?" Lester shook his head, "No, that's why I'm here. Ranger asked me to take you on a tour of some places and find a couple that you like. He'd like to then go with you and make the final decision. You know, security and all that jazz." They laughed and made arrangements to go after lunch.

The first apartment on the stop was about a mile away, in a big complex that had RangeMan security. The manager showed them two different apartments that were available and Julie liked the one that had two bedrooms, but it was at the maximum end of her budget. She had a lot of money saved and since none of the apartments at work were available, she decided to buy a place, but wanted to be able to have enough left after the down payment to be able to buy furniture. The next stop was a similar complex, just farther away from work and Lester pointed out a few security issues. The third stop wasn't a stop after they drove up. Lester took one look at the house and said "Your father will kill me if I even take you in there. It looks like it should be condemned instead of sold. Let's keep going." The last stop was it and Julie knew as soon as they pulled up. It wasn't a typical apartment complex, but rather an area of townhouses. They were located about fifteen minutes from work in a quiet part of town. The one that was available was located at the beginning of the street and from the outside, Lester approved. They got out and went inside with the realtor. It was a three bedroom, two bath townhouse that was at the end of the row of four units. Julie wandered around and looked everything over while Lester spoke with the realtor. The kitchen was wonderful and had a great deck off the back of the house and the previous owner had left behind a hot tub on the deck. The backyard was large and fenced in well and seemed private from the unit next door and the houses to the back. Lester took one look at Julie by the end of the tour and knew this was it. He sent Ranger a quick text and spoke with the relator about the price. The current owners had to move out of state for work and wanted to get rid of the unit quickly. Lester got a text back and said, "Julie, Ranger will be here in a few minutes." He turned to the realtor and explained that Julie's father was coming over to check things out before she put in an offer on the unit.

Ranger showed up and had Steph with him. Steph wandered around with Julie and Ron, who was on a video call via Julie's phone, while Ranger, Lester and relator looked around and talked. Ranger approved of the unit and called his attorney to help with the purchase. When Julie and Steph got back to the guys, Ranger could see that Julie loved this place. He nodded to the realtor and said, "Julie, I'll contact my attorney to help you put in an offer. You should be able to make a good offer that the realtor thinks will be approved, after passing inspection, which will stay in your budget. I know you want to do this on your own, but know that Steph and I are here if you need it." She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you daddy." They headed back to RangeMan and while Ranger and Steph headed upstairs, Julie headed down to the gun range. She hadn't heard from Ram yet today and was excited to share her news.

She stopped outside the gun range and waited until the gunfire stopped. She opened the door and peeked in. Ram was alone and had set down the gun he had been using. She knew there were cameras in the room so she didn't jump on him like she wanted to, she was so excited. She bounced her way over to him and he smiled when he saw her. He nodded towards the cameras and she smiled. "I know, but I had to come down." He picked up the gun and started the cleaning process while she talked. "I was out with Lester this afternoon looking for an apartment." He looked up when she said that and said, "And?" "And, I found a townhouse that I'm going to put an offer on if it passes inspection. Daddy talked to the realtor and hopefully I'll hear by the end of the week." Julie spent about an hour in the range, talking to Ram and eventually he showed her one of the newer weapons he liked and taught her how to fire it. While they kept their hands to themselves, Ram was itching to touch her. Once she was done firing the weapon, she started to clean it. Ram looked at her and said, "What are your plans for tonight?" She glanced up and smiled at him, "Not a thing, unless you can come up with something for us to do?" He chuckled and said, "Oh, I have lots we can do, but it's a matter of getting out of the building. Think you could get away and meet me somewhere about 6:00?" She nodded and said, "I have the urge to go to Point Pleasant with some friends." He smiled and as she turned to leave the range and when she got in the doorway, she turned around and said, "I'll text you."


	11. Chapter 11

That night was the first of many nights where Julie met "friends" while Ram just left without saying anything to the guys. Julie heard back about a week later about the townhouse and after a bit of negotiating, she was a new homeowner. She was beyond excited and so was Ram, but he didn't show it as much as Julie. She drug most of the guys out shopping for furniture at some point in the next month and by the time the closing happened, she had most of the house furnished. RangeMan was installing the security system and after some discussion with Julie, Ranger decided that he and Steph would pay to have a pool installed in the backyard. Julie didn't have a lot of stuff to pack in Trenton, as she had been living out of her suitcases. When she had moved back to Miami earlier in the year, she had taken most of her things with her. She did make a quick trip down on the company plane and with Ron's help, packed up the rest of her things from the house. Ron had gifted her with some items from the house that he knew Rachel would want her to have and he tagged along back to Trenton with her. As a surprise to Julie, Steph had organized some of the guys and had them painting walls and doing some minor repairs in the house that Julie had mentioned wanting to do.

When the RangeMan plane landed, Julie and Ron were greeted by Ranger. He helped unload the things she brought into the truck he had driven and then they were off to her house. They pulled up and she saw the street was lined with black vehicles. She turned to Ranger and said, "Is anyone left at the office?" He laughed and backed the truck into the driveway. Before she could get out, the back of the truck was opened and her boxes were being hauled out. She had marked on the boxes which rooms they were to go in to make it easier and within minutes, the truck was empty.

Ranger led her into the house and she stopped in her tracks. The walls were painted and it looked like most of the furniture she had bought had been delivered. She threw her arms around Ranger and hugged him tightly. He laughed and said, "I wasn't that involved, it was mostly the guys that are here now." She wandered around, thanking and hugging the guys as she came across them. She found Steph and Rosie in the kitchen, putting things away in the cabinets. She hugged them both and kept wandering. Lester and Bobby were in her bedroom setting up her new bed and from the windows, she could see Tank and Hector were walking her fence line most likely picking the spots to set up the security cameras. As she wandered, she came across Ram. He was in one of the spare bedrooms and when she walked in, he looked up and smiled at her. "You're back!" She smiled and nodded. She walked towards him, but he shook his head. "Later, after everyone leaves. I don't think what I want to do to you right now would be appropriate in front of your dads and Steph. Once the guys start to leave, I'll stay if doesn't seem awkward, otherwise, I'll come back later tonight." She sighed, but agreed and left him to the bookcase building he was in the midst of making.

Steph sent Lester and Bobby out for pizza and drinks and they ate outside on the deck, enjoying the quiet of the neighborhood. The backyard had the outline of the pool staked out, and Ranger told her that construction would begin in the next week. Ron was quiet during this time, and Steph picked up on it. She walked over and sat by him. "It's hard to see her so grown up, isn't it?" He nodded, but didn't say anything. "How have you been doing Ron?" He sighed and said, "I honestly don't know Stephanie. Some days I feel okay, just muddle through the day, but other days it's painful to even get out of bed in the morning. It was nice having Julie with me for a while, but I understand her need to move forward with her life. I just can't believe that Rachel is gone. We'd known each other since elementary school and she was such a big part of my life." Steph reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Do you have any family left in Miami?" He shook his head and said, "My parents both passed away in the last few years and I was an only child." Steph gave him a warm smile and said, "Ron, you're part of our family. Would you think about moving up here? Carlos can help you get a house, job, whatever you need. It doesn't make sense for you to be so far away from the family who loves you." He stared at her and finally said, "I'm part of your family?" She laughed and said, "Look around you. This is our family and all who are here are part of it. We may not be a traditional family, but each of these guys is like a brother to me, and I think of Julie as my oldest daughter." He agreed to think about it and she left him to go sit on Ranger's lap. She whistled and got everyone's attention and then Julie took over.

"First of all, thank you to all of you who helped get my house ready for me. Whether you painted or built things or hauled furniture or boxes, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm planning on taking the next two weeks to get everything organized and put in its place, but then I'll be back to work at RangeMan." Ranger spoke up and said, "Julie will be taking over the investigation side of the company, similar to what Steph was working on." Before he could say anything, Lester piped up and asked, "Beautiful, what are you going to be doing? Sitting upstairs eating Tastycakes?" Steph's reached over and covered Rosie's ears before saying, "No you dumbass, I'm not going to sitting upstairs eating Tastycakes. I've decided to cut back my hours a bit more than I have in the past few years." Lester laughed and said, "I guess being married to the boss has its perks." The guys chuckled and Steph stood up off of Ranger's lap and said, "Carlos, cover Rosie's ears again." When he had done so, she continued by saying, "Lester, you are such a dumbass. I had this all planned out how I was going to tell you guys, but now you've screwed it all up." Les looked at her quizzically and she went on, "I'm pregnant you idiot. I'll need more time to take care of myself and not work so much." The guys all cheered and shouted out their congratulations. Lester gave her a hug and said, "Sorry Beautiful, I sometimes can't help my joking." She smiled and said, "Watch this." She turned to Ranger and said, "While you were gone to get Julie, I had a doctor's appointment and she did an ultrasound because the morning sickness is worse this time." He nodded and said, "Is everything okay?" She smiled and said, "It's as okay as it can get since I'm pregnant with twins." Ranger looked at her with big eyes and then promptly fainted in the chair he was sitting in.


	12. Chapter 12

The next few months went by quickly. There was a lot of teasing done at Ranger for fainting, but he took it all in stride. Steph wouldn't let him punish the guys and because her morning sickness was worse than with Rosie, he agreed so he wouldn't upset her. Julie was glad that she didn't live in the apartment with them anymore because Steph was so sick. She did help take care of Rosie, but with her starting preschool for half days, most of what she helped with was transporting her to and from preschool.

She settled into her new role in the office quickly and soon became a favorite contact from a lot of the customers. Her relationship with Ram was progressing well, but as she got busier at work, she didn't have much time to spend with him. They took advantage of whatever small amount of time they could get together. They didn't tell anyone about their relationship, especially Ranger. They didn't advertise that they spent time outside of work together and at the office, they acted like coworkers, joking with each other like she did with the rest of the guys.

He was exceptionally patient with her and while she could tell that he wanted things to progress further between them sexually, she wasn't ready to go that far. She was 23 years old now and while she had dated in the past, she had never had sex with anyone. She knew that she wanted to with Ram, but she wanted to do it when she was ready. She had talked to him about it one night when things got heated at her house between them, but she stopped it before things could get too far. He stood up and walked out the room, leaving Julie behind on the couch. She called out to him, "Ram?" "Just give me a minute Julie." She wiped at tears that were silently falling down her face, pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Ram walked back in the room and saw that she was crying and knelt down on the floor in front of her.

"Hey, please don't cry. I'm sorry." He wiped her tears and cupped her cheeks with both hands. Julie gave a half smile and said, "No, I'm sorry. I don't know what keeps stopping me. I want to do this with you, but I'm scared, I guess." He sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap. "You don't have to be scared kiddo. We can wait longer if that's what you want, there's no rush." She shook her head, "It's not fair to you that I'm holding back." He tipped her chin up and said, "I think that part of the problem is that we are hiding our relationship from everyone. I want to tell everyone at work." She looked at him, but said nothing, so he continued. "Don't you want to get it out in the open? We've been hiding our relationship for almost a year and it's getting tiresome." She stood up and started pacing around the living room. She was mumbling to herself and Ram just sat back and watched. He'd seen her do this before when she was working through problems. Eventually she stopped and came back to stand in front of him. "Ok, I'll talk to Steph and see what she suggests we do." Ram agreed and pulled her back into his lap and gave her a long kiss. "Okay, talk to Steph and we'll go from there." He left soon after that and headed back to his RangeMan apartment.

The next few days were busy for Julie, but once she had a couple of hours free in the afternoon, she asked Stephanie if she wanted to go out to lunch. Steph was in her fifth month of this pregnancy and was finally feeling good. She was larger than she had been with Rosie, but she did have two babies this time, plus once she got her appetite back, it seemed like some days she ate non-stop. They sat in the booth at Pino's and after their order was placed, Steph looked at Julie and said, "What do you want to talk about?" Julie cleared her throat and said, "I wanted your advice on something." Steph nodded and waved her hand in the air for Julie to continue. "Well, you see…the thing is…." Steph said, "Julie, just spit it out." Julie sighed and said, "I've been dating someone for a while and wanted to let you and my dads know without it causing any problems." Steph sat back stunned at what Julie had just told her. "You've been dating someone for a while? How long is a while? Why don't I know about it?" Julie smiled and said, "Yes, I've been dating someone for almost a year, I guess. I must be better at hiding things than I thought. I guess we didn't want to tell anyone yet and have decided that now is the time to do spill the beans." Steph's eyes grew big and she said, "You're not pregnant, are you?" Julie laughed and said, "That would be a miracle if it were true." Steph looked at her for a minute and said, "You mean you and he have never…" Julie shook her head, "Nope, because I've never…" Steph smiled and said, "Well sweetie, when the time is right, you'll know. As far as you telling everyone, if that's what you want to do, then do it. Bring your guy to supper some night at the house and introduce him to your dads. Let him know to expect an interrogation and probably background checks before you let him meet your dads. I'd say Ranger was an issue, but Ron has gotten just as bad since he moved to Trenton and started working with us." Julie agreed and they finished their lunch. As they were walking out of Pino's, Steph stopped and turned around to face Julie. "Hey, you never told me if I know him or his name." Julie stared her in the eyes and said, "Oh, you know him. His name is Ramsey."


	13. Chapter 13

Julie and Steph got in the car before Steph could finally say something. "Ramsey, my Ram?" Julie laughed, "Well, technically he's my Ram, but yes, that Ram." Steph looked at her confused. "I know that you had feelings for him while he was gone on that mission, but when nothing came from it, I assumed that you were still just friends." Julie laughed and said, "Well, we're still friends, but now are a bit more." Steph urged her to tell the story of how they got together on the drive back to RangeMan. By the time Julie parked the car, Steph was smiling. "Come for dinner one night next week and bring Ram with you. Together you both can tell Ranger and Ron about your relationship. I will do my best to defuse the situation I anticipate will happen." Julie agreed and when she got back to her office, she sent Ram a text and he replied with "I don't think that's a good idea." She argued with him the rest of the night and then finally he accepted it. By this time next week, they would be outed as a couple and they would either have the full acceptance by her family or her, and quite possibly Ram, would be looking for a new job.

The next week at work went by quickly and before she knew it, Ram was knocking her office door and stuck his head inside. She motioned him in while she finished up the phone call she was on. She ended the call, shut down her computer and walked over to hug him. "Ready to face the firing squad?" Ram shook his head and said, "Julie, that's not funny. I don't know how Ranger is going to take the news." She grabbed his hand and led him to the elevator. He stood behind her and she leaned back into him while they waited to get upstairs. Once the doors opened, she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the apartment door. She was getting ready to open the door when the door to the stairwell opened and Ranger stepped out. Ram quickly let go of her hand and she looked at him and sighed. "Hi daddy. We're just getting here for dinner." He didn't say anything, but looked at them quizzically and followed them into the apartment.

Steph stepped out of the kitchen when she heard the door and looked a little surprised to see Ranger standing with Julie and Ram. Julie gave her a look that screamed, "Help" so she said, "Ranger, go grab Rosie out of her room and get both of you washed up for dinner. I'm just taking everything to the dining room table." He didn't say anything, but Ranger looked at her funny and then headed down the hallway. Julie let out a big sigh and before she could say anything, there was a knock at the door. Steph said, "That should be Ron, go let him in." Julie went to open the door and found Ron standing there, along with Tank. They all came inside and Steph smiled at Tank. She told Julie to get a set of dishes for Tank and to rearrange the seating at the table. Ram followed Julie and went to help her. She had mentioned to Tank that he might want to stop by the apartment tonight, but didn't tell him why. All she said was that Julie wanted to talk to them about something and it might be helpful to have Tank there, just in case.

Rosie came running down the hall to the dining room and was delighted to see Ron and Tank. She was giving them all hugs and kisses when Julie and Ram stepped into the room with the dishes. She went running over to them and said, "Julie, Wam Wam, you're here. Mama tolds me you were goings to be here." He picked her up and swung her around, making her giggle. "Rosie Posie, I'm glad you're here. Why don't you show me where you sit and I'll help you." Rosie decided to tell everyone where they should sit and she ended up in between Julie and Ram. Ram was sitting on the end of one side of the table with Steph on his other side. He said a small prayer of thanks that he wasn't sitting next to Ranger. Everyone dug in and once they started eating, Julie cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Well, I supposed you are all wondering why we're here." Before she could continue, Rosie said, "I'm here to eat dinner." They all laughed and it helped break up the tension. Julie continued, "I wanted to let you, my family, know that I've been dating someone." Ranger stopped his fork in mid-air and stared at her, but didn't say anything.

No one said anything and Julie looked at Steph. Steph nodded at her to continue so Julie said, "Steph, daddy and dad, I wanted to let you know that I have been dating Ram for a while and we decided it was time to let you know." Ron looked from Julie to Ram and back to Julie, without saying a word. Steph sat smiling, but looked at Ranger. He was silent, just staring at Julie. Tank said nothing, but had a smirk on his face. Ram sat and just stared straight ahead at the wall. Julie kept looking between everyone and was surprised that no one said anything. Rosie finally broke the silence. "Julie, is Wam Wam your boyfriend?" Tank let out a small chuckle and Julie said, "Yes Rosie, Ram is my boyfriend. Do you think that is okay?" Rosie laughed and said, "If Wam Wam is your boyfriend, do yous kiss him?" All the color in Ram's face disappeared and Julie said, "Yep, sometimes I kiss him." Rosie nodded her head and said, "I guess it's okay then." Everyone else was still silent and Julie looked at Ron and then Ranger. Ron gave a half smile and said, "Well, okay." She smiled at him and then looked back at Ranger. He met her eyes and set his fork down on the table. He pushed his chair back and stood up and walked out of the dining room. Steph let out a big sigh and looked at Julie. She had tears running down her face and started to push her chair back to leave the table. Steph shook her head and said, "I"ll go talk to him. Why don't you all finish up dinner?" Steph got up and walked out of the room.

Julie sat there crying, while Rosie was quizzing Ram about kissing Julie. Ram still wasn't saying anything. Ron said, "Do you two know what you're doing?" Julie looked at him and nodded. Tank looked at Ram and said, "Boy, are you trying to get yourself fired or killed?" He shook his head and Ram looked over at Julie. "Ram, maybe you should go." He stood up so fast that his chair fell over and Tank roared laughing at him. Ron gave a chuckle and stood up. He reached his hand out to Ram and shaking his hand said, "You, my boy, are one brave SOB." Julie grabbed Ram's hand and pulled him in to her. He reached down and wiped her cheeks. "I'll talk to you later. Okay?" She nodded and gave him a brief kiss. Rosie ran over and grabbed onto his legs and he reached down and picked her up. "I've got to go Rosie Posie, but I'll see you soon, okay?" She nodded and patted him on the cheeks. Ron left a few minutes after Ram and Tank was the only one left with Julie. Steph and Ranger hadn't come out of their bedroom yet. Tank motioned for her to sit down and followed her in sitting.

"So, you and Ram, huh?" She nodded but didn't say anything. "How long has this been going on?" Julie smiled and said, "Officially, we've been dating about a year and have kept it quiet the entire time. Unofficially, since just after Rosie was born. A friendship started on my first trip up here after Rosie was born and over the years it just grew. It had it's up and downs, but once I moved back up here, things changed for the better." She paused for a minute and then said, "Do you think daddy is okay? He didn't say anything, just sat there and then just got up and left."

In the bedroom, Ranger was pacing around the room. Steph sat on the bed, propped up against the headboard with her hands resting on her growing stomach. Every time she started to say something, Ranger ignored her, and just kept pacing. Finally, she'd had enough and stood up. She grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her. She pushed him down on the bed and said, "Sit and be quiet." He looked at her in surprise, but thankfully did what she asked. "Ranger, Julie is not a little girl any more. She's 23 years old and is a wonderful woman. You have to stop looking at her as the 12 year old that took care of Scrog. She loves him and from what I can tell, he loves her. You're going to have to face the facts. You can't keep her from dating or from falling in love." She knelt down in front of him, the best she could despite the large baby bump, and reached her hands up to his face, lifting it up so she could look in his eyes. She was somewhat shocked to see his eyes were full of tears that he was trying to blink away. "Oh Carlos, it's okay." He shook his head and finally spoke. "I know that she's a woman, I can see the way some of the guys look at her in the building or out at a client's office. I knew she would grow up and fall in love someday, but why does it have to be with one of my men?" He shook his head and just sat there. Steph leaned over and gently kissed him. "Wouldn't you rather have it be one of your men, someone you know and can trust with our lives, and not someone she met in a bar or club? Isn't it better that you know the kind of man that Ramsey is, where he came from, what his values and goals are rather some Joe Blow that could be a serial killer?" Ranger gave a small snort and pulled her up into his arms. He wrapped his arms around the babies and kissed her. "Thank you Babe." She kissed him and said, "Don't you think you go out and talk to Julie, if she's still here?" He agreed and they stood up and walked out to the living room, where they saw Julie and Tank sitting, talking, while Rosie was on the floor playing with her dolls. The conversation stopped when they saw Ranger and Steph and Julie stood up, looking ready for a fight but Ranger walked over to her, opened his arms, and pulled her in for a hug. "You're growing up too fast for my liking Julie, but I trust you. If Ram is who you want to date, then okay. But just know that if he hurts you, I get to kill him."


	14. Chapter 14

Julie left soon after and stopped by Ram's apartment before she headed to her house. She didn't bother to knock, just opened the door and went inside. She found Ram sitting on his couch, bottle of beer in hand, just staring at the wall. He looked up when he heard her and raised an eyebrow. "It's all good." She smiled at him but he shook his head. "How can it be good? Ranger wants to kill me, Ron called me a crazy SOB and Tank just laughed. How is that good? Rosie is the only one that liked it." She knelt down in front of him, placed the bottle of beer on the floor and grabbed his face in her hands. "Ramsey, it's fine. Steph talked to daddy and then I talked to him. He told me that I was growing up too fast, but he trusts me. If it's you that I want to date, then he's okay with it." Ram looked up at her in surprise and she leaned in a kissed him. "Really? I'm not going to die tomorrow on the mats?" She shook her head and climbed into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and they spent some time kissing and they both let their hands roam on each other. Ram didn't push her to do anything she didn't want to, but when he reached for the zipper on her jeans, she pushed his hands away. He let out a sigh and hugged her. "I'm sorry Ram." He shook his head and tilted her chin up so she was looking directly at him. "Nothing to be sorry about, I didn't mean to push you. I…" She interrupted him and said, "No, it's not your fault. I know what you want and I want it too, but not yet. I want it to be at the right time and the right place, not on your couch, not in this building either, especially after that dinner upstairs." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her again. Eventually she had to leave and he walked her to the door. One last kiss and then she headed out the door. He stood watching her get on the elevator and right before the elevator door closed, she said, "Oh by the way, daddy said he'd kill you if you hurt me." She laughed when she saw all the color leave his face and his mouth hung open.

The next few months went by quickly and soon Steph was almost 9 months pregnant. Everyone was surprised she hadn't delivered yet, especially Steph herself. She was miserable feeling, uncomfortable, irritable and just grouchy in general. Julie had never been more pleased that she didn't live with them, a few hours of Steph at the office was enough. The night Steph went into labor with the twins, Ram was over at Julie's house for dinner. When there was a screech of tires in the driveway, Julie looked at the window. She saw Ranger running around the car and opening the back seat. He hauled Rosie and a bag out of the car and pulled her up the sidewalk to the front door. Ram had the door open before Ranger could knock and Ranger stopped in his tracks at the sight of Ram. Julie came out and reached out for Rosie. Ram grabbed her bag and without saying a word, Ranger kissed both the girls and took off back to the car. Julie led them into the kitchen and they fed Rosie and watched television for a bit before it was bedtime. Ranger's call came about an hour later that Steph was going back into surgery for a c-section. The doctors were concerned about the babies and didn't want to waste any time. He said he'd call again after it was over.

Julie and Ram, with Rosie sound asleep laying across them, were on the couch watching a movie when the next call came from Ranger. Julie answered it and put him on speaker. She nudged Rosie awake and said, "Daddy is on the phone about mommy and the babies." Rosie popped up and said, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, are the babies finally here?" Ranger laughed and said, "Yes my Rosie, they are finally here." Before he could continue, she interrupted and asked, "Well, what did we gets?" They all laughed and Ranger said, "You have a baby brother and a baby sister. What do you think about that?" Julie had tears running down her face and Ram reached over to wipe them away. "Daddy, how is Steph? Did everything go okay?" "Steph is good, tired, but good. She and the babies will be here for a few days before they can come home. Can you bring Rosie by in the morning?" Julie agreed and before they hung up, she asked, "What are their names?" Ranger said, "Cameron Carlos and Cassandra Carlina, both have about the same skin tone as Rosie and have Steph's blue eyes and neither one has much hair so we can't tell what it will be like. I'll see you in the morning. Love you all." Rosie bounced up and down, singing about her new brother and sister and it took some time and bribing to get her into the spare room to go to sleep. Ram stayed a few minutes longer and then with a long kiss for Julie, left and headed back to RangeMan. While they hadn't been officially dating for too long and had no idea what Julie thought of for a future, he felt a twinge of envy towards Ranger. A beautiful wife and now four children. How lucky can a guy get?


	15. Chapter 15

Soon Christmas was upon them all. Steph and the babies were doing well and Rosie was in her last year of preschool, with kindergarten on the horizon. Julie and Ram were still going strong and over time, all of RangeMan had learned they were dating. They were more open about it after hours, while keeping work hours as work time with nothing personal involved.

One day over her lunch hour, Julie headed upstairs to the penthouse. She opened the door quietly, as it was the time of day the twins were usually sleeping. She found Steph sitting on the couch, just staring at the wall. Julie sat down next to her and Steph looked over at her after a few minutes. "Oh, Julie. I didn't hear you come in." "Steph, have you slept lately?" Steph shook her head. "Both babies are dealing with ear infections and it's been a few rough couple of days. Ranger's in Miami dealing with an issue and I've been single parenting all of three of them. I don't know how people do it being a single parent, but they have my deepest respect. But, you didn't come up here to hear me moan and groan, did you?" Julie shook her head and after a moment of silence said, "I need to talk to you about something and I would prefer you don't talk to either of my dad's about it. Is that okay?" Steph said, "Of course, unless I feel that you are in danger, I will keep my mouth shut. Go ahead."

Julie took a deep breath and slowly let it out before saying, "I want to have sex. I mean, I think it's time for Ram and I to have sex and I don't know what to do." Steph didn't say anything so Julie continued, "I mean, I know how sex works, the mechanics of it, if you will, but I don't know how to approach it with Ram. I don't know what to say, when to say it. I just can't go up to him and say, 'Let's have sex'. I'm not experienced. Shit, I don't know anything." She covered her face with her hands and just sat there.

After a moment of silence, Steph said, "Do you love Ram? Truly love him? Struggle throughout the day when you don't see him? Can't wait to get your hands on him? Your mouth on his after work is over? Can't live without him? Can't breathe without him?" Julie nodded and then Steph continued, "If you can say 'Yes' to those questions, then there should be no questions or hesitations for the next step." Julie didn't say anything so Steph continued, "Julie, I can't tell you how to approach sex with Ram. It's different for everyone and it will take time to know how the other thinks and wants, but that's the joy of making love and being in love. You go down this path together and learn together. You'll know when to approach the subject."

"Thanks Steph, that's exactly want I needed to hear. I do have one other question if you still have time." "Sure sweetie, what is it?" "I need to know about what kind of birth control to get." Steph shook her head and smiled at Julie. "Well, let's talk about what's out there and what you should get at first." They talked for a bit longer before Julie stood up to get back to work. She gave Steph a hug and said, "How about I pick up Rosie after work and take her home for a sleepover tonight and then you can just have the twins to deal with?" "Julie, that sounds like heaven. Ella should be bringing her back from preschool by 3:30 so any time after that will be fine." "Thanks Steph. I know you sometimes question yourself and your parenting abilities, but you're a great mom."

Julie made an appointment with her doctor and together, they decided on the best birth control option for her. Things were still going well between her and Ram, but he could tell something was going on with her. Finally one night while he was at her house he finally confronted her. "Julie, what's going on? Is something wrong?" She looked at him and shook her head, "Nothing's wrong Ramsey." She was quiet after and he stewed about it for a few more minutes before reaching for the remote and turning off the movie they had been watching. She looked over at him and before sighing and finally saying, "I've been thinking about us." Before she could say anything else, he interrupted. "Julie, I'm sorry if I did something to upset you." She laughed, "Why do you think you upset me?" "Well, usually when a girl says 'I've been thinking', it usually means I did something wrong." She got up off the couch and knelt down in front of him, grabbing his face with her hands. "Ram, you did nothing wrong. I've just been doing a lot of thinking and decided it's time." She searched his face, but there was no sign that he understood what she was saying. Mentally, she rolled her eyes and said, "Ram, I'm ready for us to take the next step in our relationship." Still, nothing from him. She paused for a few minutes before he said, "Of course I want to marry you" at the same time she said, "I think we should have sex now." Both sat stunned at what the other had said. Finally, Ram said, "What did you say?" Julie just kept staring at him. "What? You want to marry me?" Ram blushed and said, "Well, yeah, hell yeah, I want to marry you. I just thought it would be further down the road, but what did you say?" Julie laughed and said, "I said, 'I think we should have sex now.'" He stared at her before saying, "Are you sure?" She nodded and smiled at him. "I've been to the doctor and am now on birth control and I feel like it's time. I've never wanted this more than I do right now, so yeah, I'm sure."

Ram stood up and swept Julie up into his arms and then said, "Hell yeah!"


	16. Chapter 16

**An extra long chapter, but I felt I couldn't break it up into two chapters. Enjoy!**

Julie skipped into the office the next day with a big smile on her face. The night spent with Ram was everything she dreamed it would be for her first time. Ram was perfect, the whole night was perfect and so full of love. She experienced so many different emotions and felt so many different sensations that now, as she sat at her desk staring at her computer screen, she wondered why she waited for so long. Lester walked by and stopped when he saw her sitting there, staring at her blank computer screen, with a goofy grin on her face. "Hey Julie, what's up?" Julie looked up and smiled at him, "Hey Uncle Lester. It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?" He looked around at the chaos of the control room and shook his head. "If you say so." Walking away, he was shaking his head when he walked right into Stephanie. "Beautiful." She laughed, "Hey Les, what's up?" He looked back towards Julie and said, "Something's up with Julie. Look at that goofy grin. She's staring at a blank screen. Good thing Ranger's still out of town." Steph looked over at Julie and smiled and then kissed Lester on the cheek and walked away. Lester shook his head and said, "Women."

Steph walked over the Julie's desk and perched her butt on the side of the desk. Julie looked up and smiled at her. "Hey Steph. How are the kids doing?" Steph narrowed her eyes and said, "Kids are fine, your dad comes home today. Got time for a quick visit in my office?" Julie nodded and stood up and followed Steph into her office. Steph shut the door behind them and they both sat down. Julie still had the grin on her face and Steph finally said, "So, I assume things went well last night? You said Ram was coming over for supper." Julie sighed and said, "He came over for supper last night," and with a twinkle in her eyes said, "and he left after breakfast this morning." Steph didn't say anything for a minute, but then asked, "Are you okay? I mean, do you hurt anywhere?" Julie laughed, "Steph, I feel wonderful! I don't know why I waited so long to do this, but yes, I am a bit sore this morning, but, wow, it was wonderful." As they sat and talked, Julie gave out some of the details about how gentle and slow Ram was with her, how he made her feel so loved, including the part where Ram said he wanted to marry her. Steph paused briefly and then said, "Holy moly, don't say that in front of your dad, well, both dads, yet. Ranger is still hesitant about you and Ram dating, even after all of this time. And, before you say anything, it's because you're his little girl. It doesn't matter how old you are, or how old you will be when you do get married, you're still his first little girl. He's having a tough time seeing you as a grown woman."

They talked for a few more minutes and then Julie headed back to her desk. She finally got busy with work and before she knew it, it was lunch time. She headed into the break room to eat and sat down at an empty table. Her back was to the door when she heard silence take over the control room. She didn't even bother to look behind her, she knew what happened. She heard the footsteps and said, "Hey dad. Welcome home." Ranger kissed the top of her head and said, "You didn't even look, how did you know it was me?" She laughed, "Seriously dad? The entire building when quiet when the elevator opened. Even if they weren't doing anything wrong, the guys go stone cold quiet when you are on the floor." He had grabbed some lunch and sat down with her. He filled her in on his trip and mentioned that he wanted her to visit the other offices before the year was over. He wanted her to share her knowledge of investigations and her thought process with the other teams. She didn't have Steph's spidey-sense, but she wasn't far off from having it. She knew more about the use of social media and could usually find some type of information from one of the sites. She came up with a check list of sorts that she used for every file and because of her hard work, the company's profits had grown and she helped get vital information on some of the tougher cases that came from Washington, DC. He had even pulled her into the planning of a mission for Manny and she ended up finding out information that Ranger passed onto DC and they were able to take care of the situation without Manny. There were still a few of his men that took on missions, and ever since that one, he made a deal with DC to let him have his staff research the mission before he would send his men out in the field. They talked about when she would be able to go and he wanted her to take at least one of the guys with her, and she agreed. She even agreed that it wouldn't be Ram, but one of the core team.

Ram was working the overnight shift so she barely saw him the next few weeks. They texted or emailed off and on and saw each other in passing at the end of her shift and the start of his, but they didn't get to spend any time alone for almost a month. They finally ended up with the same day off and Ram showed up at her front door at the end of his last overnight shift. He had stopped and brought breakfast and hoped that he could convince Julie to have breakfast in bed. It had been an agonizing month for both of them. He knocked on her door and after a few minutes, she showed up and opened the door, pulling him inside. He dropped the bakery bag and pulled her into his arms and kissed her until they were both out of breath. "Finally," he said. She murmured her agreement and then pulled him down for another kiss. He walked her over to the sofa and pulled her down on top of him. Kissing led to more and soon they were both out of breath, but thoroughly satisfied. She glanced over towards the door and saw the bakery bag on the floor. "Ah, did you bring me a donut?" He got up and walked over, picking up the bag, and turned and headed down the hall to her bedroom. "I thought you could have breakfast in bed." She jumped up and ran after him, laughing the entire way down the hall.

They surfaced a few times throughout the day for food and drinks, but spent the rest of the day in bed. The sun was starting to set when they decided to shower and head out for dinner. The shower took a bit longer than normal, due to the extracurricular activities, but eventually, they got out the door and headed to Pino's for pizza. They were seated and had just ordered when the door opened and Steph, Ranger and the kids came inside. Rosie saw them and came running over and threw herself onto Ram. "Wam Wam, you're here too." She turned towards her parents and said, "Look mommy and daddy, Wam Wam and Julie are here too. Can we eat with them?" Before Steph could answer, Ram had gotten up and motioning to the waitress, moved everyone over to a larger table. He sat down next to Julie and, out of habit, draped his arm across the back of her chair. He glanced up and found Ranger sitting across the table from him with a glare on his face. Julie saw it too and said, "Daddy, be nice." Steph elbowed him in the side and he dropped the glare. Steph ordered for the rest of them and soon they were all talking about the babies and what they were doing. All of the food came about the same time and the next few minutes were quiet with all of them eating. Julie was about to say something when Ram's phone rang. He excused himself and went outside to take the call where it was quieter. He came back in a few minutes later and sat down. Julie looked over and said, "Everything okay?" He didn't answer right away, instead he looked at Ranger, who knew exactly what the call was, just by the look on Ram's face. Ranger reached over and grabbed Steph's hand and gave it a squeeze. She understood the look as well. Ram touched Julie's shoulder and said "Sorry to cut this short, but we need to go." She didn't say anything, but as Steph looked at her, she could tell that Julie was beginning to understand what had happened. He stood up and pulled out his wallet but Steph waved him off. "No, we'll take care of it. Go." He nodded and grabbed Julie's hand and pulled her out to the car. Steph didn't realize she was crying until Ranger wiped her tears. "He'll be okay Babe." She nodded, but said, "I know he will be, but I'm more concerned about Julie." "I know Babe, I know."

Ram was quiet in the car on the ride back to Julie's house, holding her hand the entire way. She knew what was happening but hoped that if she didn't say anything about it, it wouldn't be real. He parked the car and before she could get out, he pulled her hand up and kissed her fingers. They got out of the car and walked into the house. Ram locked the door behind them and led her into the bedroom. She started to say something, but he put a finger over her mouth and shushed her. "Later, we'll talk later. For now, just let me love you." She nodded and he wiped the tears that were falling down her face. A few hours later, she had fallen into an exhausted sleep and he unwrapped himself from her arms and headed out into the kitchen. He pulled out some paper from the drawer, sat down, and started to write. He wrote to Steph and Ranger, to Rosie and the twins, and finally to Julie. That one was the hardest to write and it took a couple of tries before he finally got down in words what he wanted her to know. He put each letter into an envelope and wrote the appropriate name on the outside. He put them away in his coat pocket and would give them to Tank to distribute if the need arose. He slipped back into bed and just held Julie until his alarm went off a few hours later. He got up and took a shower and when he came back into the bedroom, Julie was getting dressed. "I'm not going to just sit here and let you go alone. I'm going with you." He didn't argue, just pulled her in and held her. Eventually, they had to leave. He drove to RangeMan and he held her hand the entire way. He pulled into the garage and they went up to his apartment. He packed his duffle while Julie sat and watched. "Is there anything I can do to help with this mission? Is there anything I can research?" He shook his head and knelt down in front of her, holding both of her hands. "I know you want to help, but for this one, there's nothing you can find that they don't already know. It's a return trip to somewhere I've been before and hopefully, it won't take long." He leaned in and kissed her, inhaling her scent so it could go with him on this job. They walked out of his apartment and headed to the control room. The guys working saw them come out of the elevator and saw the duffle bag in Ram's hand, so they knew what was happening.

The entire core team was waiting for him and together with Julie and Steph, they headed up to the roof to wait for the helicopter. Julie held onto him the entire way up to the roof and stood clinging to his arm, not wanting to let him go. The guys came over and shook his hand and wished him well. He pulled the envelopes out of his pocket and gave them to Tank. Without saying anything about what they were, Tank nodded he understood. Tank put them away in his pocket and pulled Ram in for a man hug. Steph hugged him and whispered something to him that had him nodding and he reached up and wiped her tears. Ranger asked to speak to him privately and Julie reluctantly let him. Ranger spoke quietly and Ram nodded. They exchanged a man hug and then he headed back to Julie. He pulled her aside and then into him. He leaned his head down on top of hers and just held her. He pulled back a bit and tipped her chin up to look at him. She had tears flowing down her face and he wiped them away and kissed her. "I love you Julie." "I love you too Ramsey and you better come back to me in the same shape you left me or I'll be pissed." He chuckled and kissed her again. He could hear the chopper in the distance and for the first time in a long time, hated what he did for a living. Maybe if he wasn't so damn good at being a sniper, he wouldn't have to go. He walked Julie back over to the rest of the group and when the helicopter was just about to land, he grabbed Julie and kissed her. He poured everything he had into the kiss. Reaching down to grab his duffle bag, he looked at Julie and kissed her and said, "I love you, I'll be back as soon as I can. Be safe." She nodded and kissed him again and said, "I love you too Ram. Take care of yourself and come home to me." He turned her into Ranger's arms and with a nod to everyone, headed out to the copter. By the time he was aboard, Julie was sobbing and Steph had come over to the other side of her and wrapped her arms around both Julie and Ranger. They stayed like that until the helicopter was out of sight. The rest of the guys had gone back downstairs as soon as it lifted off, so it was just Ranger, Steph and Ram. Ranger wiped her tears and said, "Julie, he'll be back. He's good at what he does and if everything I found out about this mission is true, he won't be gone too long."

They headed back downstairs and she declined Steph's offer to stay at the penthouse, and instead went to Ram's apartment and crawled into his bed. She hugged his pillow, inhaling his scent and cried herself to sleep. She slept poorly for the next few hours before she gave up and got out of bed. She wandered around the apartment and eventually changed her mind about staying with her dad, texting him to let him know. She had thought about staying at Ram's but it was too hard for her. She went into the bedroom and pulled a couple of Ram's t-shirts out his drawer and took them with her when she left. She was headed upstairs when she heard the ping on her phone indicating an incoming text. "This is probably my last chance for a while to text you, but I wanted to tell you again that I love you and I will come home to you." She replied with, "I love you too Ram. Hurry home to me."


	17. Chapter 17

The next day at work the guys avoided Julie. She had red rimmed eyes and was constantly sniffing. Steph finally came out of her office and asked Julie to come upstairs with her at lunch. They walked into the apartment and found Ranger in the kitchen fixing lunch. Julie sat down at the table and Steph brought her a bottle of water, while Ranger brought their lunch out. They sat down with her and for a minute, no one said anything. Julie sniffled a few times before Ranger set down his water and looked at her. "Julie, are you okay?" She started to nod, but broke down and started to cry. He looked over at Steph for help and she sat down next to Julie and pulled the girl into her arms. She let her cry for a few minutes and then lifted her face, looking at her. "Julie, I know it's hard, believe me, I know how hard these missions are for those left behind at home, but you have to be strong. Take today and cry and feel sorry for yourself, get it out of your system, but starting tomorrow, be the strong woman your dad and I, and Ram, know that you are."

Julie didn't say anything but wiped her face. She looked across the table at her dad and said, "How much do you know about where he's going?" Ranger sat quietly for a few minutes before saying, "Enough to know that he's going to be safe and shouldn't be gone more than a few months. I can't tell you where he's gone so don't even think of asking me." She nodded and sat for a few minutes. She looked over at Steph and asked, "Any suggestions about how to deal with this? I know he was gone for over a year last time, but we weren't together then like now."

Steph sighed and looking at Ranger said, "Well, I guess it's time that you all learn my secret on how I got through your dad's deployments." She looked at them and said, "If you tell anyone, I'll deny it to the day I die." They both nodded and waited for her to continue. "I would come up here when your dad was gone and hug his pillow and smell it, just to get a whiff of him. I made a deal with Ella to not wash his bedding until after I told her, which was usually a few months after he'd leave. By then the smell was faded enough." Ranger had a smirk on his face, but his eyes were twinkling at the thought of Steph smelling his pillow.

Julie nodded and said, "After the helicopter left, I went to Ram's apartment and slept in his bed. Is that all that helped?" Steph let out another sigh and said, "No. I would sneak up here and shower, just so I could smell the shower gel that your dad uses." Ranger laughed and said, "You weren't as sneaky as you thought. Tank kept a log of all your visits to the apartment, but he couldn't figure out what you were doing, since you were never here for more than an hour. It's been a running mystery with the guys since we first got together." Steph shook her head and said, "Seriously, don't they have enough other things to worry about? Anyway, I would suggest keeping a journal. I did that as well after things got more serious between me and your dad. It helped to write down how I was feeling each day, whether we heard from him or if Tank got notification that he make his check-ins. Sometimes I would just doddle his name, just like in junior high when I was lost in thoughts about the cute boy in my class." Ranger looked at her, "Where are these journals and why haven't I seen or even heard about them?" Julie looked shocked and said, "Daddy, you can't read Steph's journals. They are her private thoughts. I suppose you read Aunt Cecilia's diary when you were little." Ranger said, "But they are about me, so why can't I see them?" Julie sighed and got up from the table, kissing both of them and headed back downstairs to work. As she shut the apartment door, she could hear them arguing playfully over Steph's journals.

At the end of her shift, she headed into Lester's office. "Uncle Lester?" He looked up and smiled. "Hey, there's my girl. What can Uncle Lester do for you?" She grimaced, "That sounds creepy. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall with me. I wanted to get a few things and don't feel like being alone." He agreed and said he'd meet her in the garage in a few minutes. She stopped by Ranger's office and told him good-bye. He was on a call, but waved at her, smiling at how much better she looked since lunch.

The ride to the mall was fun, with the radio blasting and both of them singing along. They had a fun time together shopping. Lester helped pick out some clothes for her to wear on dates with Ram when he got back and she helped him find a gift for his current girlfriend. They hit up the food court and ate a bunch of junk food that they would both running extra for in the morning. They stopped at the arcade where she kicked him in skeet-ball, which earned her an ice cream on the way back to RangeMan. They pulled in the garage and she gave him a hug, thanking him for the great time. He said, "Anything for you kiddo." When he said that, her eyes filled up with tears. "Hey, Julie, are you okay?" She sniffled and said, "Ram called me kiddo before we started dating. It just hit me that he's gone. It sucks, you know?" He pulled her in for another hug and kissed the top of her head. "I know it does, but you'll get through it. We won't let you stay sad for too long. Now, how about you come upstairs and help me wrap this gift. I wrap like a 10 year old boy." She laughed and agreed, following him up the stairs to his apartment. She stayed for about an hour, helping him wrap the gift and watching the end of a baseball game with him. She gave him a kiss and left, getting almost to the garage when she realized she didn't have her car. Ram had driven his car to RangeMan when he left and she had stayed in his apartment before coming to work. She started to head back up to the control room when Hector came out of the stairwell. "What's up chica?" "I forgot I don't have my car here and have no way to get home." He smiled and said, "No worry, I drive you home." She gave him a hug and followed him to his car. He pulled out of the garage and while driving her towards her house, she asked, "Does it hurt much to get a tattoo?"


	18. Chapter 18

~18~

Hector looked over at her and said, "You want a tattoo?" She looked at him and said, "I think I do. Most of the guys working here have one so I wouldn't look out of place. Plus, Ram and I were talking about them the other day when I asked about the few he already has, and I was think that I would like to get one and surprise him when he gets home. What do you think?" He looked over at her and said, "Have you talked to Steph or Ranger about getting one?" She laughed, "Yeah, like that would go over with daddy. I don't know how he got through so many years of military work without getting any. Even after working with so many of the guys that have them, he still doesn't have one." Hector let out a bark of laughter. "What?" she asked. Hector shook his head, "Not my story to tell, but I wouldn't worry about what 'daddy' thinks." She looked at him and then it clicked. "You mean, Daddy has a tattoo?"

The rest of the drive home, Hector refused to give away the information about Ranger's tattoo. Julie finally gave up the fight and asked Hector to help her with hers. She had an idea on what she wanted to get, but didn't know where to go to get it done. He followed her into her house when they got there and had her get out paper for him. She also gave him a box of colored pencils because she wanted it in color. He looked at her with a blank look on his face once she explained what she wanted, but before he threw down the blank look, he had a surprised look on his face, just for a quick moment. He worked for a few minutes and showed her the outline of the design. She made a few suggestions and then after he made the update, she looked again and said, "Perfect! Oh Uncle Hector, it looks perfect!"

The next day after both of their shifts were over, Hector took Julie to the place where he gets most of his tattoos. He introduced her as "Manoso's kid" and that seemed to get her the star treatment. Hector handed over the design he had come up with and the guy looked it over. "Seems like it shouldn't be too hard." He looked at Julie and asked, "Where do you want it at kid?" Julie glanced at Hector and blushed. Hector seemed to get the idea and said, "I'll step out for a minute." Julie gestured to the general area of her body and the guy handed over a sheet and told her to take off whatever would be in the way and cover up. He then stepped out and both he and Hector came back in once she said she was ready. Hector looked at where she had covered with the sheet and said, "Are you sure?" She nodded and said she was ready to start. Hector sat next to her and held her hand, telling her to squeeze if it started to hurt. The work started and while she only squeezed Hector's hand a few times, he did reach up and wipe away tears from her face. The guy looked at her and said, "Do you want me to stop?" She shook her head and looked at Hector and said, "Just missing Ram." Hector nodded and had a short conversation with the guy in Spanish, which Julie understood about every other word. It seemed that Hector was telling the story about Ram being on a mission.

Once it was done, Hector drove her back to Rangeman to pick up her car and she headed for home. He gave her a kiss on top of the head and told her he was proud of how she handled it. She looked at him and said, "Well, I know that I'll be going back one more time to get the date added and that might be the end of my tattoos. I know Ram has a few of them, but one seems to be enough for me." Hector laughed and she got in her car and headed home. When she got home, she found a note on her door from the next door neighbor, asking her to stop over when she got home. She dropped her bag off inside and headed next door. The woman answered Julie's knock with a smile and said, "A delivery came for you about an hour ago, but it was left with me since you weren't home. Come in for a minute and I'll go get it." The woman came back carrying a large bouquet of red roses in a beautiful vase. She handed it over and said, "You are a lucky girl to get such a beautiful arrangement. Julie thanked her and headed back to her house.

Julie set the vase down on the coffee table and pulled out the envelope that was with it. She leaned over and took a deep breathe, inhaling the wonderful scent of the flowers. She opened the envelope and pulled out the card. It wasn't Ram's handwriting, but it was from him. "My Sweet Julie, I've loved you for so long and wish I didn't have to leave you now. Please be strong and stay safe so I don't worry about you too much. I have to run to catch the plane, but wanted to say I Love You one more time. Yours, Ram". She burst into tears and got up, heading into her home office. She dug through the desk and found a spiral notebook and sat down in the chair. Reaching for a pen, she started to write. 'My Journal', - Julie Manoso Martine. She wrote for over an hour, pouring out her soul in words. Once she was out of words for the night, she put the notebook back in the drawer and headed to bed.

The next few weeks went about the same. She would work her shifts at RangeMan, spend her lunch hour in Ram's apartment, and then heading home for the night. Occasionally she would spend some time upstairs with the kids and a few times she spent the weekend with them at the beach house whenever she had the entire weekend off. Ranger let her know that Ram had made his first two check-ins and everything was going according to the plan. He mentioned if it continued this way, Ram would be back stateside in a few weeks. She knew that once that happened, it could still be weeks before he was allowed out of DC and could head back to Trenton. Steph had mentioned that the debriefings were the worst time for her. She would hear that Ranger was back in the states, but couldn't get to him or even talk to him until he was released.

About twelve weeks after Ram left, he finally came home. Julie was working at her desk, with her headphones on when she felt a chill go up her back. She about jumped out of her chair when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped up and turned around to see Ram standing there, with a big grin on his face. Her head jerked back towards her desk, as she still had her headphones on. He laughed at her while she pulled the headphones off and threw them on her desk. She launched herself into his arms and started to cry. He held onto her tight, closed his eyes and just breathed in deeply, instantly relaxing.


	19. Chapter 19

By the time Ram was able to set Julie back on the ground, after she had had a short cry and peppered his face with kisses, they had attracted a crowd of the guys. Ranger came over and shook his hand saying, "Welcome home Ram. Glad to see you are back." Steph ran over and threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him, "We're all glad to see you are back Ram." She glanced over at Julie who was smiling with tears still on her face and clinging to his arm. "Some of us more than others." She walked over to Ranger and while he pulled her in for a quick kiss, Steph took a minute to whisper something to him. He looked at her for a minute and saw the glare in her eyes, before he nodded in agreement.

Sighing, he starting walking back to his office. "Ram," he called. "Yes, sir?" Ram replied. "Take the rest of the week to get back in the swing of things and we'll see you on Monday." He started to walk away and stopped when Steph cleared her throat and glared, again, at him. Ranger let out another sigh and with a smile looked at Julie standing next to Ram and said, "Julie, you too. See you Monday." She dropped Ram's arm and ran over to Ranger. She threw her arms around him and whispered, "Thank you daddy." He walked away, shaking his head, wondering what he was thinking. How did he let Steph do this to him? He just gave his little girl time off of work so she could spend time with Ram. He knew what he always wanted when he got back from missions, time in bed with Steph, and the thought of Julie in bed with Ram was giving him a migraine.

Julie walked back over the Ram and found him talking to Lester, Hal and Manny. He had been in the middle of a sentence when Lester cleared his throat, just as Julie got close enough. Ram stopped talking and grabbed her hand. "Hey, I want to head up to my apartment and check on things. Want to come along?" She smiled at him, "Sure, let me just shut down my computer and grab my stuff." He told the guys he would talk to them later and waited for Julie to grab her things. He grabbed her hand again and walked them over to the elevator. "Did I interrupt something you were telling the guys?" she asked. He looked at her and shook his head, "No, just filling them in on what I just came back from doing." He looked away and started to say, "I can't.." before she interrupted and said, "I know, you can't tell me or you'd have to kill me. Blah Blah Blah. It's the same line daddy used to tell Steph when he'd get home." He gave her hand a squeeze and was thankful that the elevator stopped at his floor.

Once the doors opened, Ram picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed and grabbed onto the back of his shirt when he started to jog down the hallway. "I used to like that my apartment was the last one, but now it's too far away," he said. He used his fob to unlock the door and kicked it shut as soon as they were through. He slid Julie down the front of his body and she dropped her bag on the floor. He reached down with both hands, cupping her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss. The kiss lasted until they were both out of breath and gasping for air, they both looked at each other. Julie reached up and caressed his face. He grabbed her hand and gave it a kiss. "Sweetie, I would really love to take my time and love you as slowly as you so deserve, but that will have to wait for the next round." She glanced at him with a quizzical look on her face. "Because, I need you now, as in right now, right here, right now." She gasped as he ripped her shirt open and sent the buttons flying around the room. He pulled the rest of her clothes off, fumbled to get his own off and throwing it all in a pile on the floor, picked her up, wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed her up against the door. Julie looked him in the eyes and said, "Yes, oh God, yes."

When they both had their breathing under control, Ram picked her up and carried her to his bedroom for round two. He laid her down on the bed and climbed in after her and started kissing his way down her body. He was kissing a trail down her side under her left breast when he suddenly stopped. Julie groaned and started to complain when she realized that he had seen her tattoo. She had gotten so accustomed to it that she forgot it was there. She felt his fingers gently tracing the design and then felt soft kisses all around it. He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled, "Do you like it?" He rolled her on her opposite side so he could get a better look at it. "How? What? Who?" he tried to ask. She laughed and said, "Uncle Hector helped me design it and took me to get it. Do you like it?" Ram stopped tracing his finger around the shape and looked up at her. "Do you like it?" he asked her. She nodded and said, "I hope you don't think it's too childish, but when I first met you and heard your name was Ram and you were a sniper, this was what I thought of when I thought of you. Remember the sign I made to pick you up at the airport that first time? I just added the rifle." He chuckled and kissed her. "I love it and think it's perfect. I see there are two dates on it. I know the second date, which was our first official date but I'm lost on the first date." Julie smiled and said, "That was the date of our first kiss, you know the one I ran away from after it happened." Ram smiled and said, "It turned out okay for us though, didn't it?"

They stopped only long enough to eat and shower, which turned into another round. By the time they both fell asleep, they were exhausted. While Julie slept solidly, it was restless sleep for Ram. He woke himself up a few times with nightmares, but thankfully he had left Julie so drained that she slept through it. This trip wasn't as bad as it could have been, but still, he saw enough to leave him with nightmares. He hoped a few days off with Julie would do the trick and he wouldn't have to resort to anything else. He had plans for Julie but he needed Steph's help. He was scared to death about what he wanted to do, but he knew it was what he wanted. He pulled Julie into his arms and forced himself to relax and fall asleep again. Thankfully the nightmares stayed away and they slept peacefully until the sun came through the windows and woke them up.


End file.
